Chapter Forty-Eight: Resolution
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Tyler Island, Spring Sea.
October 7th, 2019.
0800hrs.
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Kathryn leaned against the wall of what remained of a house, the neighborhood they found not able to escape the effects of this war. Old brick houses that housed military families, researchers, and any other potential residents on this island were now crumbling apart, even the ones not directly caught in the crossfire. Every window had been shattered and varying levels of debris were found in almost every house, signs of anyone ever having lived there more or less destroyed.
Fortunately, this neighborhood had seemingly seen less bloodshed. They found few bodies, not even among the wreckage of tanks and anti-aircraft weaponry or of downed fighters that had crashed into the streets or fields surrounding them. What they had discovered, however, were many more refugees. Mostly families, but a few people appeared to be on their own. A handful of likely orphaned children among them as well as more defectors from the Erusean military. It had been heartbreaking, and even in spite of their dwindling supplies Kathryn and the others unanimously decided to share what they had. There was safety in numbers, at least.
Their shelter was temporary, and every single one of them knew that, but they needed to rest somewhere and regroup. And they needed to get Henri back on his feet. As far as she could tell, it was just a matter of time. He would either succumb to the infection and blood loss or by some miracle he'd live. Kathryn knew any losses would weigh down morale, not that they had much of that to begin with.
Rain pattered down lightly outside as everyone tried their hardest to stay dry, the children carrying out quiet conversations as most of them huddled around the Princess' dog, the Princess herself sitting nearby at Henri's side. Avril sat switching through the frequencies on the tactical radio she'd found among the aircraft wreckage. Bandog and most of the Erusean soldiers sat not far from her, the former staying alert and keeping his eyes on the sky and horizon. While Adelaide regularly got up and tended to Henri, Georg sat with the girls not far from Kathryn, both of the children catching up on the sleep they'd been deprived of all this time.
Kathryn occupied herself with a few of the maps of the island the newest defectors had given them, marking out the areas allegedly under Osean control and the new Erusean factions. Apparently there was an entire civil war going on, between those that hated the drones and Belkans and those that hated Osea and anyone else that stood in their way. All these innocents caught up in this war…it was enough to make her feel sick after everything she'd seen in her lifetime.
She was trying to find a way through all of the fighting, anywhere so long as they weren't caught in the middle of it, but it seemed impossible. Which they'd already figured out, but Kathryn was used to doing the impossible. Where there was a will there was a way. She just needed to figure it out. Unfortunately, in her current state, her mind wasn't on her side, leaving her twisting her hair as she drew a blank.
Subconsciously, without realizing it, she used her free hand to reach up and fidget with her dog tags. The same chain they dangled from also held her wedding band, something she and Hans had both agreed on long before they decided to return to combat. As a result she'd found herself fiddling with the chain whenever she felt stressed. She wondered if he'd give up on them – on her – as easily as she was starting to.
"How long have you been married?" Georg's voice, though quiet, startled her out of her thoughts. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts she didn't have any idea he'd looked over at her. In fact, he'd been so quiet she thought he'd dozed off like his daughters. When she snapped out of her thoughts and glanced his way, he gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but notice you playing with the chain of your dog tags often. That's when I noticed the ring."
"Oh. Sorry, I was just caught off guard," Kathryn answered, almost embarrassed. She didn't like attention drawn to her various mannerisms, though she should have been used to it by now. Though the distraction was a welcome one, it hurt to think about leaving him behind like she'd done. Still, she hoped maybe in answering his question the subject would be dropped. Regardless, she couldn't help but smile a bit. "We're coming up on eight years this December. Before that we went through fourteen years of dancing around our feelings, if that counts for anything."
Georg nodded slowly, and for a moment she thought he was going to leave it alone, but he seemed interested in making conversation instead. "It must have really hurt to leave Osea when you have someone like that waiting for you back home."
Kathryn hesitated. He should have stayed back in Osea, but he wouldn't let her go alone even if she'd tried. "Actually…he's a fighter pilot, too," she admitted, something the two of them usually kept quiet for the sake of avoiding controversy. "He was one of my wingmen during the last war. I, um…I kind of dragged him with me when we came out here. We weren't really supposed to be deployed."
"I see. You two must care about each other a great deal, to go through a war together," Georg observed, and on some level she wondered what else he might have been thinking at that moment. He almost seemed regretful as he glanced over at Adelaide. Though he didn't seem like he was trying to be rude, he commented, "Then again…it's an incredibly difficult thing to do, knowing you dragged someone you loved into hell."
"Well, he and I know just about everything there is to know about hell," Kathryn said, drawing in a deep breath. It was mainly to set her own doubts aside, knowing that he stepped up because he wanted to help her and even Naomi throughout all of this. But she hated herself for causing him any kind of hurt. "We always end up going through it together. Sometimes I wonder why he doesn't just let go, leave me to face it on my own."
"He's your wingman, isn't he? And your husband," Georg said, offering her a small smile. "That's two different vows he's made to you. Be it on the battlefield or otherwise, he can't really say he loves you if he's willing to break either of them."
"And I can't really say I love him if I'm so willing to put him in harm's way," Kathryn countered softly, feeling all of the guilt over the scenario that had been building up this entire time. She felt awful and pathetic to risk both of their lives for a partially selfish reason. Her insecurities that had followed her for years, worsened only by a war that haunted them, seemed to be coming back full force. Georg gave her a curious look, so she explained. "He wanted to be done with war. And for a while, I did too, but I just…the only thing I knew I could do was fight and fly, and flying made me feel alive. For the longest time after that I had my wings clipped, but then I had this golden opportunity and I– I didn't want a war, I just wanted…I don't know."
The truth was she did know. But she wasn't the type to overshare unless absolutely necessary. Georg was quiet for a minute or two, looking down at where his daughters slept cradled in each arm. For a minute Kathryn was worried she'd said too much despite her best efforts, but at last Georg answered her. "If it makes you feel any better, all I know is how to fight, too. Or create something to fight on my behalf," he told her. "But…we all see where that's gotten me. And the rest of us. I should have given up and retreated long ago, but I didn't. If we make it out of this, I've decided if there's any way I can atone…that's what I'm going to do. Even if I don't know how."
Kathryn thought about his words. She didn't know what to do with herself, and she'd been restless all this time. It had taken years of work for her to feel like she could function like she should, grappling with grief in just about every sense of the word. Hans had been there through it all, between breakdowns and anger issues, he stayed patient and by her side. Even when she gave him the biggest slap in the face by jumping headfirst into a war and throwing her life on the line just to feel like it was worth something. She didn't deserve him.
If she made it off this island alive, she'd spend an eternity trying to make it up to him if that's what it took. But she couldn't do that until these people were safe. Not until all these families and those murdered by the Erusean soldiers received justice for what happened to them. Not until this war was over, and it was safe to go home. She would see it through to the end for them. But the only other thing she wanted at that moment was to feel safe and at peace again, even if just for a few moments. Something Hans always provided her with, and something else she'd taken for granted.
"That's not a bad plan," Kathryn replied at last, leaning her head against the wall behind her. She'd atoned for most of her actions and her supposed crimes nearly ten years ago, even if no one would be aware of that for another year or so. That was good enough for her. Now she had to atone for something she was actually guilty of. But that had to be taken one step at a time. She looked back down at the map in her hands. "We just have to figure out the best way to make it happen…"
1200hrs.
The morning dragged on, a lull in the fighting granting some quiet and slight peace of mind for everyone. Rosa knew it would be short-lived, just like every other moment of silence they were allowed. She sat staring down at Henri, vaguely aware of the conversations taking place around her and Leo occasionally stirring behind her. The only other disturbances were the occasional curses the woman with the limp, Avril, would spit out every time the frequency she turned the radio to gave her nothing but static.
Rosa found it difficult to speak to anyone around her, the only respect and courtesy she could show them being to simply avoid them or refer to them exclusively with honorifics. One to throw any suspicions about her identity off and second because at that moment she felt inferior to those around her. She had a feeling, judging from the looks the adults and soldiers that defected gave her, that everyone was already aware of exactly who she was. And possibly the only reasons the latter had not killed her were due to the Oseans within their group.
It was strange to think that her own countrymen wanted her dead, the very people she'd wanted to act in the best interest of, all the while the so called heartless, bloodthirsty, warmongering Oseans were the ones that extended kindness to her in spite of her and her country's actions. Although she refused to preach more hatred and violence towards Osea, that didn't change past actions. None of the people here wanted this war to happen, and she had wanted some way to put an end to it. Now, that seemed impossible.
She'd hurt so many people indirectly. She wouldn't have faulted anyone for leaving her behind to die, and yet they didn't. They offered her food and water and shelter, no matter how temporary. It was her obligation to help them as their leader, and yet here they were helping her. And even helping Henri.
Henri…she couldn't look away from his injury, though bandaged. There were blood stains all over his suit, and he'd been in and out of everything as he tried to fight off whatever problems had arisen as a result of Rosa's attempt to treat him. She did the first thing she could think of, falling back on information she'd read in a textbook years ago. But she felt bad it had potentially caused him more pain. It was enough to make her want to cry, but she didn't have it in her to do even that.
Thankfully, her attention was drawn away from Henri by another swear from Avril, and she looked over to where she sat a few feet away, punching in various different frequencies in search of something. It didn't seem she was looking for any Osean frequency, it seemed that she was trying to find a specific few. Though Rosa hadn't been paying close enough attention to tell if she was putting in numbers she'd already used, had she been looking for any Osean frequency she knew she should have heard something from the Oseans still around the island. Rosa didn't really know how broad the range of it was, she didn't even know it had been on the aircraft in the first place.
Curious, perhaps looking for anyone to talk to after silently wallowing in misery for so long, she softly asked, just loud enough to be heard, "Who are you hoping to hear?"
At first Rosa wondered if Avril had even heard her, but her fingers stopped moving and she looked up briefly in Rosa's direction. She sighed, pulling her good leg up alongside the injured one that she'd been keeping pulled up against her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "Someone that could help. Someone I know who's on our side…but I don't even know if they're still alive, let alone anywhere around here." There was a pause, and she let out a snort. "Hell, the selfish part of me hopes they stay far away from here."
"Are…are they a pilot?" Rosa asked, trying to keep the discussion going. She'd noticed all of the Oseans, including the man they called Bandog, were wearing Osean air force uniforms. It said as much on their uniforms. One of them, the woman named Kathryn, was even wearing pilot gear. "You're all in the same branch, right?"
"Well, technically, I'm not actually military. Call me…hmm, a contractor?" Avril said, genuinely seeming stumped on it. If there was a story there, she didn't feel the need to share it, simply shrugging. "But, yes, they are pilots…damn good ones. I'm their mechanic, I've worked closely with some of them since the war began. I know how good they are, but they're also pretty reckless, so, y'know how it is."
"Not really, no. I only know a few of our pilots," Rosa answered, forcing a small smile as best as she could. The only pilots she really knew enough to worry about was Sol Squadron, and even then it was General Shilage that would have worried her the most. She didn't know much, she just knew that Ionela was worried for him and she didn't like seeing her friend upset. He treated her like she was one of his granddaughters every time they met, and yet she'd allowed him to be used by Parrish, hurting him and his family. She sighed. "And the one that I do know probably wouldn't appreciate my concern all that much."
"Is it that ace of yours?" Avril asked her, raising a brow.
Rosa nodded, but said nothing else. She didn't really want to think about it, unsure how she was supposed to face Ionela and Alma after this, if she ever made it out alive. How could she, after all that had happened? She chose to shift the subject back to Avril's pilot friends. "What about your pilots? Are they anything like Three Strikes?"
Avril almost laughed, a smirk still lingering on her face even after she suppressed it. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," she said. "What would you know about Three Strikes, anyways?"
"Not a lot…just a few things," Rosa said, her turn to shrug though she didn't often do that. She stared down at her hands, usually delicate now dried out and covered with dirt and blood. Roughly digging at her hands, trying to wipe the grime off, she kept talking. "That she's a young woman, not much older than I am. She's given our forces and our ace a run for their money. She's…the daughter of a Belkan…"
Her voice almost cracked as she trailed off, realizing that the same Eruseans that claimed they wanted peace with Osea just as she had would have killed one of their pilots simply for her heritage. And it wouldn't have just been her, given Osea's proximity to Belka. Countless other Oseans were deserving of death by their logic, just as they were deserving of death in Parrish's eyes. Avril seemed to come to roughly the same conclusion, but she didn't comment on that, instead telling her, "She's a lot more than that. I'd go so far to say she might even be our last hope."
Rosa looked up at her and blinked, the confidence she had as she said those words almost suspicious. She briefly wondered if Avril had met Three Strikes, or even if one of those friends of hers was Three Strikes, but she didn't have the chance to answer. The topic was immediately forgotten as Henri suddenly began to cough and sputter, and her attention was drawn to him.
At first, she felt panic rising up as she looked over at him, but it eased as she realized he was sitting upright and coughing, covering his mouth with one fist while his free hand applied pressure to the bandage wrapped around him. As soon as he was finished coughing, he fell back onto his elbow, but remained upright. And most importantly, his eyes fluttered open, strained and full of pain but for the first time in several days they seemed to focus on something.
"Henri?" Rosa asked hopefully, and the commotion had gotten everyone's attention, most importantly Adelaide's.
"Your…Your Highness…" Henri managed to say, slowly and as though it was taking a great deal of effort. He tried to sit up again, but Rosa put her hand on his shoulder to keep him from overdoing it. He blinked, taking in his surroundings, notably the crumbling walls and unfamiliar faces, and gave her a concerned look. "What…what's happened, Your Highness, where are we?"
Adelaide had already appeared at Rosa's side, and she moved out of the way to allow her better access to him, not wanting to get in the way. She looked almost as relieved as Rosa felt that he'd finally woken up. Almost as if trying to soothe a child, she said to him, "Take it easy, no one here is going to hurt you. How are you feeling?"
Henri blinked a few times, still trying to adjust. "Like I've been impaled…with a killer headache to go along with it."
"That should be expected, I suppose," Adelaide said, passing him a bottle of water she must have grabbed on her way over. "Here. Now that you can properly drink something you need to get enough fluids. If you feel like you can keep something down there's food as well. I wish I could give you something for the pain but there's nothing I can do for you there, I'm sorry."
"I…barely remember what happened, I just…" Henri paused as he tried to jog his own memory, his eyes going wide suddenly and somehow appearing more pale than he already was as he looked over at Rosa. "Your Highness, what happened to –"
Rosa cut him off. "Don't worry, he's…he left the island."
Henri seemed to relax once he knew Parrish wasn't a threat, and Rosa chose to spare him the details leading up to him retreating. In a life or death moment the only thing she could think of to allow herself an opening to help Henri was to shoot Parrish. It hadn't been as easy as point and shoot, and she didn't know if it was misfortune she hadn't been able to kill him or not. It would have solved one problem, but those drones of his would still be active whether he was dead or not. Just as there were people that continued the will of honorable people out long after they were gone, the exact same thing was true for less honorable people.
He didn't press the topic, shakily taking a few sips from the water Adelaide had given him. Leo had moved closer as soon as he heard the coughing, and now carefully sniffed at Henri's face, seeming to lift his mood a bit. Henri carefully reached out and gave Leo a few weak scratches behind the ear, looking around once again at all of the unfamiliar faces. He looked at Adelaide last. "I'm guessing all of you being here have something to do with the actions of our military?"
Rosa and Adelaide both nodded in response, Adelaide the one to properly answer him. "We've had a rough go of it. All of us are in the same boat, so…we're just doing our best to survive. I wish you could have woken up in a proper hospital, instead of the middle of a warzone, but…"
"That's…not your fault," Henri said, trying for a laugh but immediately stopping when the action aggravated the injury. His face contorted into a pained expression, and Rosa wished she could do something to ease his pain. As soon as he noticed her expression shift he put on a brave face. "It's not your fault either, Your Highness. None of us had any control over this, only those committing the atrocities are to blame."
"I can give you two a moment, if you'd like. If you're doing okay, of course," Adelaide suddenly said, not interested in the conversation beyond the health of her patient. She waited carefully and Henri nodded that he was alright, so she gave him a tired smile. "Alright. Call me if you need anything. Trust me, I won't be far."
As Adelaide rose to her feet and took a few steps, Rosa acted on impulse. She clumsily got to her feet, having been sitting in place for so long that her leg had started to fall asleep, and the lack of movement contributed to her stiffness and lack of grace as well. Keeping her voice down so as not to disturb others but loud enough Adelaide could hear her, she said, "Mrs. Fitzgerald, please, could I have a moment?"
Adelaide paused, looking back at her with a confused and even concerned expression on her face. The sound of her last name probably surprised her, as Rosa had barely spoken to her and had only learned of Georg and his family's name because she saw it on his uniform. Since then she avoided calling them by their first names out loud. Still, she waited. "Is everything alright?"
"I wanted to thank you. For helping Henri and for showing the two of us so much kindness. We…or at least I don't deserve it," Rosa said quietly, avoiding looking her in the eyes. Not a good way to show you were genuine, but the shame and guilt she felt was so overwhelming she couldn't keep herself together if she made eye contact. "I know it doesn't mean much and I don't deserve your forgiveness, but –"
"You don't need to apologize," Adelaide told her, lifting a hand to silence her and looking almost embarrassed by the exchange. Her expression changed to one of sadness as she went on. "There isn't anything to be done about it. What happened has happened, and words won't change it. I helped you because in my eyes you are a child and you don't deserve to die, not because I wanted you to be indebted to me."
"Without any way to tell if this will end, I just…it wouldn't be right not to repay your kindness," Rosa said, determined to do something to make it up to these people. If she was still in a position of power after this war came to an end, she could see to it that those soldiers were punished. But after all this pointless hatred she almost didn't care if her country fell apart, either. If they survived, whatever the future may bring, she had to do something. "So…please, if there's anything I can do to help you all, will you let me know?"
Adelaide hesitated, then finally sighed. "How about this? For now, just keep your friend company and make sure he keeps his strength up. Is that good enough?"
"It can be a start. Thank you," Rosa said, offering her a small smile. Adelaide returned it, then returned to where her husband and daughters sat playing rounds of rock-paper-scissors for the sake of entertainment.
Rosa took a few steps back, but not before she took in the faces of those around her. All of them were covered in bruises and cuts, their clothes torn and covered in dirt or blood. They were suffering because of the actions of her government, and once again she thought about how they showed her kindness regardless of this. How they took her in despite having every reason not to. And they asked nothing of her in return, or at least Adelaide and her family declined it. She wondered if any of the Erusean soldiers that defected felt the same way she did about all of this? Like they didn't deserve to be here.
Finally she looked over the three Oseans with them, the ones that had taken all of them in without a second thought. These people weren't blinded by hatred for Erusea or even for Belka. They were all just caught up fighting a war that Rosa was becoming more convinced was never supposed to happen. If this was what it took to prove Erusea's might then it was hardly worth it. Not worth the lives of innocents. Not worth having her people turn on each other, executing their neighbors over some misguided idea of who their 'real enemy' was.
They may not have asked anything in return, but that didn't mean she couldn't do her best to help them the way they helped her. To protect and shelter them. She'd done everything wrong and they'd done nothing. They should never have had to pay for her actions or the actions of her government. She couldn't change what happened, but she could do her best to fix the problem before them.
No matter what it took, she wasn't going to let any more harm come to them. To any of them.
Gardos Air Base, Erusea.
October 8th, 2019.
0630hrs.
Naomi sighed, crossing her arms as she stared at the digital map before her, having taken up the briefing room as her office to avoid feeling claustrophobic. She couldn't think when she was cooped up, be it in her quarters or an office space, and this way she had more tools at her disposal. With the information and aid from Major Grimm's unit, they'd been able to partially update everything even without the satellites. Now as they worked to restore communications over the last week, Naomi had to think of some plan.
The obvious choice was to make for Tyler Island, but there had to be another benefit to it besides retrieving Avril and Bandog, the main reasons she wanted to go back there in the first place. Their original plan did involve reclaiming the island, even if nothing had been officially sanctioned for the LRSSG at the time they sent them out there. It was in the works, at least, but now they had nothing.
Her attention centered on the space elevator, surrounded by a red loop to indicate the Arsenal Bird's range. They needed to get it back under Osean control. It was the most important thing in this entire war, after all. If they had it under their control and could do away with the final Arsenal Bird, the Erusean forces in control of the drones – the 'Radicals' – wouldn't last much longer. But she didn't even know if it was a good plan, and if it was, would it be worth relocating all the way to Tyler Island. It was easily the closest they could get to it, Gardos being too far away, but Naomi wasn't sure.
She let out an irritated groan, no one around to hear her, and dropped into one of the swivel chairs at the table, leaning her hand against her fist as she went over the map. She didn't need to look at it, the damn thing was etched into her memory at this point, but on some level she wondered if she stared it down long enough she might have some epiphany. If only things were that easy.
Familiar voices chatting in the hallway drew her attention to the open door, Count, Jaeger, and Tabloid all three coming into view as they reached the doorway. Count was the first to come through the door, heading right towards her with a small paper bag in his hands that he dropped into her lap as soon as he reached her. "Here, I brought you breakfast. You need to eat to think."
"Did my dad put you up to this?" Naomi asked him, recalling her father's insistence she quit skipping meals. They'd all gone to the mess hall as soon as breakfast was ready, and Naomi told them she wasn't hungry and had work to do. It wasn't entirely true. While she did have work that needed to be done, and that made breakfast a waste of time, it didn't mean she wasn't hungry. She'd skipped out on lunch and dinner yesterday, too.
"No, my concern for your dumb ass did," Count remarked, his sarcasm more playful than annoyed. When she smirked and rolled her eyes at him his own expression softened. "Seriously, though, between you and Long Caster not eating you're gonna give the rest of us gray hairs worryin' about you."
"And I already have enough of those," Jaeger commented with a tired laugh.
"I'd be more worried about Long Caster if I were you," Naomi said, having hoped that he may have started eating again after the operation. He'd been willing to eat during the escort, but the aftermath and news of Labarthe's death must have taken its toll on him again. Not wanting to further contribute to everyone's anxiety, she relented and opened the bag, finding a bagel. Split right down the middle with cream cheese sandwiched between the two pieces. An incredibly rare treat. As she removed it, she told them, "I appreciate it, though."
"Don't worry about it. There's plenty to go around, by the way. The cooks felt bad they didn't have enough supplies to do Taco Tuesday tonight, hence…bagels for breakfast," Count explained, and Naomi realized she must have had some reaction to finding they'd brought her one. Since the war started she almost forgot they occasionally did special theme days like that. And now, once supplies ran out they were out indefinitely. So things like that had become a thing of the past.
"If it makes you feel any better, we've been nagging Long Caster, too. Fencer and Lanza were still going at it with him when we left," Tabloid said, his focus on the map in front of him. He quickly took notice of the area she'd chosen to center the screen on, bringing the topic around to business not long after. "Any luck on a plan?"
"Maybe. I don't really know yet," Naomi said, separating the two bagel slices and pausing only to take a bite out of one half. She swallowed and continued. "I'm waiting to hear from Major Grimm and those guys they've got working on piecing the communications network back together. We've only got so many people…we really could use some more friends."
Jaeger narrowed his eyes, raising a hand to his chin as he thoughtfully observed the map. "Well, there's plenty of places we could go. Half the continent is under Osean control, but it's hardly safe with all this confusion. Ultimately, we need to reclaim the space elevator."
"That's what I was thinking, but…" Naomi trailed off, scanning the map. "It's just as risky with that Arsenal Bird."
"Yeah, but it's the most likely to be worth it, right?" Count asked her, though she guessed he already knew the answer. She nodded anyway. He took a deep breath. "Well, then I say we go for it. We take whatever chance we have."
"The best bet would be Tyler Island then, right?" Tabloid asked, looking over at her. He almost looked like he was pleading with her, and she knew he was worried about their friends just as much as she was. Yet he'd been so calm and patient in spite of it all, refusing to break in front of anyone. He understood they could only do so much. "If the Osean forces at least had the upper hand, we could get there, no problem. Right?"
Naomi nodded, having already run over everything in her head at least a dozen times since she'd been there that morning. She leaned back in her seat. "It's the only option I can find that makes any sense."
Count glanced at her, and she guessed he probably figured out what she was thinking. "I sense a 'but' coming."
"But I want to talk with the others, Colonel Beckett included. If we're going to be putting up a fight then everyone needs to be on the same page," Naomi said, though she knew realistically she could just waltz up and say 'here are your orders, good luck!' but that wasn't how she wanted to do things. She wasn't going to have her men put their life on the line, not when they only had a vague idea of their strategy. "I'm not going to ask them to fight and put their life on the line for a lost cause without giving them a say. If we're doing this then we can't change our minds. But unless Colonel Beckett and Major Grimm have some luck with communications…I don't see what else we can do."
"Even then, there's hardly many other options," Jaeger pointed out. He crossed his arms and shook his head slowly. "I doubt the others will have any other ideas, but it's worth considering alternatives. Without having heard from Mead and Marsh, we don't know what state the island is in following the blackout."
"They'll be okay. What could have possibly happened, right?" Tabloid asked. Though he came across as being optimistic, Naomi noticed the look in his eyes. He seemed nervous, but he kept it to himself. Forcing one of his classic, almost dorky looking crooked smiles he said, "Besides, we've got Trigger. If there's anyone there that wants to pick a fight, she'll get us through it, right?"
"That sounds about right," Count said with a short laugh, looking over at her.
"I have a feeling if I started talking about myself the way you all do I'd have a mutiny on my hands," Naomi said, only half-joking. She wasn't exactly lacking in confidence but always worried on some level she wasn't living up to their expectations. She didn't really have time for self-doubt, but that didn't mean it didn't try to creep up on her. Especially these days.
Only a few moments of silence passed before they were greeted by another familiar face. Running footsteps echoing through the hall caught their attention, and a few seconds later Genette popped his head through the door, struggling to catch his breath. Naomi was on her feet, all of them about to ask him what had happened, until they noticed he was smiling. As soon as he caught his breath he said, "Perfect, they said I might find you here! We've had a breakthrough with communications!"
They didn't need to be told twice, Naomi instantly setting off after Genette as he led the way through the halls, the others right behind them. Major Grimm and Genette had evidently hatched a plan that led them to Anchorhead, intending to use the space elevator to get their network of communications back up and running. It was a longshot and they'd been working at it for days, finding it challenging even with the help of Gardos Air Base personnel. Naomi wasn't sure about all the details, she'd been far too busy, but she trusted them to make something work. Whatever it took.
Ever since the attack on the base following their operation things had been tense but quiet, with everyone keeping their guard up and prepared for the worst at all times. It made it hard to focus and it made it hard to keep morale up, but something like that could easily boost everyone's mood. If they could get in touch with their allies, then they might have more of a fighting chance than they had. Naomi believed in her and their four squadrons' capabilities, but having friends to call in a pinch took a lot of pressure off them. They could focus on their mission and worry about support when the problem arose. And it might just make it a little easier to tell friend from foe, if they already knew they had some friends.
The walk through the main HQ went by in the blink of an eye, everything a blur to Naomi until Genette opened the door to the room they'd been working in and held it open for everyone. The room within had various long desks with several computers and chairs, all set up to make the most of the space available to them. Gathered around one desk was Major Grimm, Colonel Beckett, and her father, hovering over a lower ranking soldier. A handful of others working alongside the soldier had stopped their work and seemed to be on the edge of their seat as he removed the headset he had on and spoke in a hushed voice.
It was then that Naomi and the others reached them, Count, Tabloid, and Jaeger hanging back a few paces while she and Genette joined the crowd that was hovering about. She was almost nervous after seeing the scene they walked in on, lowering her voice so she wasn't shouting but maintaining a sense of urgency as she asked, "What's going on? Did something happen?"
"Relax, nothing's wrong," her father said, turning to her. He was smiling, so she was willing to relax a bit and hear him out. He glanced at Grimm and Beckett. "They did it. They managed to partially restore communications?"
Naomi had gotten her hopes up and for the first time in ages she wasn't met by crushing, painful disappointment. Had she not been so determined to keep herself composed her jaw might have dropped as a result of the shock. "You seriously did it?" she asked, looking over everyone. The soldier handling everything nodded and relief flooded over the entire room. "Who did you reach? What's the range?"
"We're still trying to figure it out. The Oseans we managed to get in touch with are trying to clean things up on their end," Grimm explained, but even he couldn't help but smile. "If all goes according to plan, we're hoping at the very least we'll have updated info on the state of things all across the continent."
"I don't want to get anyone's hopes up, but we might just be able to pull our forces back together," Beckett said, unable to keep from sounding a little positive himself, it seemed. "At least partially. Enough that any future operations might not just be us out here on our own. Of course, that depends entirely on how other units are faring after all of this. We've got our lucky charm, but there's no telling how fortunate others have been."
The attack on Gardos had lasted throughout the entire night, but luckily Strider and Cyclops Squadrons had managed to fend them off. After that everyone was placed on standby in case another attack came, but just as Beckett said they were fortunate. No more Eruseans came knocking, but that didn't mean it was safe to stay there. If they had other allies out there, they'd all need every bit of help they could get.
"But there's still hope," Naomi said, able to breathe a sigh of relief.
"It's all thanks to Genette that we even tried," Grimm said suddenly, nodding to where the journalist stood. "He's a smart guy."
"You guys did all the work, I just followed…well, a hunch more than anything," Genette answered modestly, giving a sheepish laugh. He cleared his throat, quickly recovering from the attention placed on him. "Trust me, I'm just as glad as you all are that it worked. So, all of that being said, do we know what we're doing going forward?"
All eyes were on Naomi now, something she really should have been used to but for some reason still found a bit…scary. That was the best word to describe it. She was far from socially anxious, but with so much riding on every decision she made it was very hard to be the one everyone was looking to. But she was sure not to let anyone see that, looking around at everyone. "I've been going over it all morning, actually. I think I have an idea, but it's still a gamble."
"Well, whatever it is, Trigger, I'm sure we can trust your instincts," Beckett said, giving her a reassuring smile. Everyone backed him up, nodding in agreement.
Naomi looked them all over, recalculating everything. With updated data and more allies on their side it would be easier to proceed forward knowing that they weren't alone. They already had a fighting chance to reclaim the space elevator, but with the ability to reorganize and regroup they stood a better chance. She still wanted to know what everyone's opinion was before she made any final decisions. But she may as well put the option on the table.
Looking around, first to her wingmen and then to her father and superior she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Confidently, certain they could do it if this was their plan, she said, "I think we need to take back our Lighthouse."
October 9th, 2019.
1345hrs.
The room was chaos as everyone tried to make themselves heard, speaking over one another though thankfully no one ever started arguing. All of Strider and Cyclops' pilots sat around at the table at the front of the room, with Beckett, while Golem and Mage voiced their opinions from where they sat among the front row of chairs. Naomi's father, Major Grimm, and Genette sat with them, Long Caster pacing the room as they all voiced their opinions. When Naomi had wanted to get everyone's opinion, she hadn't expected things to be this challenging.
Some believed they should wait things out where they were, while some thought they should go out and find other cut off units just like theirs on the continent, but ultimately the one thing they agreed on was that at some point they needed to get to their friends on Tyler Island and ultimately to the space elevator. The problem was that they all had different ideas about how they should go about that, which was where all of this discussion came from.
Naomi kept quiet, not wanting to influence anyone either way, while Count, Jaeger, and Tabloid all argued on her behalf. It was overwhelming to have so many different people speaking at once like that and not being able to say anything, but she kept it together and heard each and every one of them out as best as she could. Ultimately, the one who had the final say in this was Beckett even if he preferred to leave things in her hands.
"Okay, that's enough talk. Your opinions have all been taken into consideration," the colonel said at last with a sigh, everyone trailing off as he made his way over to the computer screen. The interactive map displayed updated information on their enemies and allies' positions across the country, courtesy of the Oseans they managed to get in contact with. They could only hope it was reliable. Beckett surveyed the map for a few seconds, not looking at them as he continued. "Beyond the seizure of Farbanti, which was important, and escorting General Labarthe…no matter what we decide to do, I just don't know what our strategy is. Or what our mission will be."
"We know what our final goal is at least," Long Caster said, having been filled in on everything that had happened yesterday. He'd even been able to offer his own help to Grimm's unit. "But our radio communications were only partially restored. Things are still patchy for both civilians and military. So even if we know what we want to do, it's going to be difficult when we're getting zip from mission command about our orders."
"But we can't just do nothing," Naomi said, standing up right as Beckett adjusted the angle of the map, still displaying the connection error. The base was pinpointed, displaying Osea's reach throughout Erusea, with most of the southern portions of the country still being marked in red. "We're still surrounded by Eruseans on all sides. It's too risky to just sit around here waiting for a miracle."
"What about Count's suggestion to think about self defense, then?" her father asked, surveying the map. The suggestion he'd made had been the same one they'd discussed the previous day, and he'd voiced it for her with Jaeger doubling down on it. "That seems like the best solution."
"Yeah, but where?" Fencer asked, crossing his arms. "It'd have to be easy to defend and easy to get to."
"There are a couple of missile-launch fortresses in Usea, right?" Skald asked, raising a brow. "If any of those are still around, would it be a viable option?
"Hardly. Take Megalith for example. The whole facility was wrecked by the ISAF ace," Jaeger said, probably recalling that time period better than anyone else. Naomi only knew the story because her brother had told her, and she found it incredibly suspicious how much detail he'd gone into. That was besides the point. Jaeger quickly continued. "Even if we could realistically make it to any of them, it's more than likely to be a waste of time and fuel. There wouldn't be anything there that could help us."
"We know that sooner or later we're going to have to go to Tyler Island, if only because we can't leave your guys hanging out there. And the IUN was operating in the area as well," Knocker said, his expression blank as he looked everyone over. "It may have still been in the works, but the longer we wait the more we're essentially leaving them for dead. Why not go straight there?"
"It has the only base that can get us to the space elevator without refueling," Jaeger said, quick to agree and jump on board with Knocker's suggestion.
"That's right…wasn't the base there a pretty large one before all this?" Clown asked, furrowing his brow. "Hence why they took it from us?"
"That's correct. And it was also a transport facility for the supply ships that have been providing the Arsenal Birds with fuel and ammo," Beckett answered him with a nod, probably more aware of the IUN's planned operations on the island than any of them were. As he spoke, he marked the position of the base on the island and set up a line from there to the space elevator. "For Osean forces looking to reclaim the space elevator, those are two great reasons in its favor. If everything went according to plan the island may already be in allied hands when we get there."
"But we can't say for sure until we get there," Naomi admitted with a sigh, aware that while it was their best plan it was still not the best. She took over the computer, enhancing the island's view and allowing Beckett to mark out the last known positions of the IUN forces on the base. "Based on everything I heard about the island and the operations, it isn't going to be easy to seize control and maintain it…"
Fencer leaned back in his seat, not seeming completely sold on the idea but not shooting it down either. "If the ground troops at least managed to open the bridgehead, then the transport route to Osea for supply ships should be available. It could very well benefit us, but at the same time…"
"With so much at stake it's hard to imagine Erusea just giving it up without a fight," Tailor said, sounding almost anxious. His expression was one of concern and uncertainty. "For all we know things could really have gone bad. We could be walking straight into the enemy's hands and our allies' graveyard…"
"Well, that's a pretty morbid way to look at it…" Count remarked, blinking a few times as everyone hesitated to respond. He was quick to recover and respond, nodding to the island. "But even if there are enemies left, they should be pretty easy to suppress. It's not like they aren't just as exhausted and in the dark as we are."
"That's exactly the problem, though," Fencer said, leaning his head over the back of his seat and staring up at the ceiling. "I just wanna go home, man."
"Me too," Lanza agreed, having been among the silent observers alongside Húxiān and Tabloid. "We don't know what's waiting for us. But…on the flip side it's not like running away is going to solve our problems, either."
Everyone murmured their agreement with him. Naomi looked them all over, everyone wearing matching expressions of worry and weariness visible on each and every one of them, but still seemingly willing to stand their ground. She'd be asking a lot of them, and they'd all been through so much already she knew it was difficult. She didn't want to keep fighting either, but they knew as well as she did they couldn't hide out the rest of the war. They had to do something, and this was their best bet.
Naomi knew she wasn't keeping a good poker face when Long Caster took notice of her expression. He didn't hesitate. "With that look on your face, Trigger, I think we all know exactly what you want to do."
"Guess you all have me figured out, then," Naomi said, able to crack at least a small smile. She forgot he wasn't aware of her stance on this like some of the others. In fact, she'd had plenty of time to reassess and come up with a strategy while they'd been trying to win over the others with the idea. "What other choice do we have, short of sitting around crossing our fingers? We can sit around here and do nothing but complain or we can put up a fight and get that much closer to going home. But that won't happen if we don't do something. So, yeah. I think we should make a break for Tyler Island."
They were all quiet for a moment, considering what she said. She wasn't good at offering profound speeches, she just made her thoughts known, so it didn't surprise her that there wasn't an immediate reaction. Húxiān was the first to break the silence, smirking slightly. "If Trigger's ready to kick ass, then so am I. She hasn't let us down yet."
"Damn straight," Skald said, exchanging a look with the rest of his squadron. Once they all nodded, their expressions changing, he was quick to add, "We're with you, Trigger."
Tabloid nodded in agreement, looking determined despite his own concerns. "You all know what I think, too. We stick with Trigger and we'll make it," he said, looking up at her and forcing a smile.
Golem and Mage Squadrons sounded off as well, Hans quietly adding just to his own wingmen, "We were near Tyler Island when Kathryn was shot down, so if there's a chance she made it anywhere…"
They all heard it, but only Major Grimm responded, quick to comfort his younger brother just as he had done for him when he found out what had happened to his sister-in-law. "Don't worry. If she's there, we'll find her."
Naomi almost wanted to say something to console them, as well as Clown, but she couldn't find the words. And they needed to get back to the briefing. Her father saved her the trouble, allowing a few seconds of silence before he turned his attention back to her. "Do we have a plan of any sort or are we going to make it up as we go?"
"Well…I had something of an idea," Naomi said, turning back to face the map.
"Knowing your ideas, this oughta be good," Count teased her to help break the remaining tension, and it succeeded in making a few people besides just the two of them smile. He quickly got back to the matters at hand. "Alright, then, what's our game plan, Trig?"
"Going off the assumption that there's still Erusean forces on the island, I think we should cover as many angles as possible without stretching ourselves too thin," Naomi said, thinking aloud as she moved over to the computer. Long Caster stepped aside to allow her full control as she pinpointed a few spots around the island that would be along their approach. "Strider and Cyclops will make our approach from the north, where we know Erusean troops were concentrated around the mass driver. And I think Golem and Mage should head straight for the air base."
"Okay…so, what's the reason for that?" Boggard asked, not having been quiet the entire time but not speaking up while they were going through this 'briefing' of theirs.
"Gardos has helicopters, we have supplies and units that we're going to need to transport somehow," Naomi said, straightening up. For a plan she'd made on the fly, she didn't think it was too bad. But without knowing the exact state of things out there, all she could do was hope this wasn't dooming them all. "If for some reason they go after our helicopters, I want you guys to keep them covered and make sure their LZ is secured."
"Pixy." Beckett's voice startled both Naomi and her father as he suddenly called out the latter's TAC name. Once he had his attention, he seemed to prepare himself for what he had to say next. "I know it's been a while, but we need all hands on deck. Are you willing to fly cover with Mage Squadron?"
Naomi and everyone else stared at her father as he sat there, processing what Beckett had asked of him. She wasn't sure what she wanted him to say. Aside from mock dogfights for the sake of training, she hadn't flown with her father in a real combat scenario. And after everything that happened she didn't know if she wanted him up there or not, depending on what they ran into. It was bad enough she was scared to death of letting her wingmen out of her sights, having blood-related family up there was going to make things even more complicated. At the same time, she knew he was a good pilot. He'd be a valuable asset.
He seemed to be considering all of these things himself, glancing at Naomi to try and figure out her stance on all of it, but eventually he drew in a breath and nodded. "Alright. I'll do what I can."
"Good…so that gives all of us something to do, then," Major Grimm said with a nod. Then he looked up at his uncle, raising a brow as an almost playful glint appeared in his eyes. "What about you? Are you gonna grace us with an airshow or are you just along for the ride?"
"We'll see how it goes. Don't go getting your hopes up, though," Beckett responded with a shake of his head, the exchange something that even managed to cheer up Hans a little as his brother muttered something to him. Likely a joke at Beckett's expense, but he chose to ignore his nephews and move on. "Now that it's all decided, let's get all the aircraft and haul ass to Tyler Island."
Long Caster adjusted the map, highlighting the Arsenal Bird's range as well as their flight path as he informed them, "Although we'll be able to avoid the Arsenal Bird's anti-air network, there's still remnant Erusean forces, so we should proceed with caution."
"Right…I want us to do our best to get to the island without getting into any unnecessary combat. We need to conserve our ammo and fuel," Beckett said. He looked around the room. "If everyone's on the same page, we better get to work. Pack for a long trip, everyone. Once we're there we might not be able to turn back."
"Fix your plane however you want, so long as it's fast," Naomi told them. She didn't know when they'd be flying out there, but she knew once they were dismissed they were getting right to work. "Stick together and don't drag your asses up there. I don't want to leave anyone behind if I can help it."
She didn't have it in her to shout out 'dismissed', but luckily for her she got the point across. All of them got to their feet, sounding off with their own, "Yes, ma'am!"s as they did. If anyone had any lingering doubts and reservations they were well hidden from her. Even if they had their own ideas about how things should go, they were willing to trust her plan and that was enough for her. Naomi was willing to do whatever it took to make sure nothing happened to them, and she knew that they knew this. Whatever happened, she wasn't going to lose any more people she cared about. She refused to.
Everyone hurried out one by one, leaving only a few of them behind. Her father made his way up to the front of the room to speak with Beckett and Long Caster, while Major Grimm and Genette talked about something as quietly as they could. That left only Naomi and Count on the pilot side of things, Naomi back to staring at the map while vaguely aware of Count lingering beside her.
Naomi glanced at him, finding him looking in her father and Beckett's direction, likely trying to eavesdrop. So as not to disturb the others' conversations, she kept her voice low as she told him, "Y'know, you need to go pack, too. That wasn't a suggestion. I mean, unless you want to run out of clothes to wear."
"Eh, all of 'em are the same anyways. I'll live," Count responded, half-joking. He then adopted a more serious tone as he went on. "All my aircraft prep is done, for the most part, so I've got some extra time to kill."
She nodded, staying quiet for a few moments. Extra time to kill, and he was sitting around here with her. Not that she'd complain. After a couple of seconds, she asked him, "Do you think we're making the right decision? Risking a fight for this island, I mean."
"It's not like we've really got any alternatives," Count said with a sigh. Even though he'd been in agreement with her on this plan, she knew he wasn't completely without anxiety. "Besides, we all count on you, now. You could ask us to fly into hell for you and we would. Well, I know I would, at least."
"Y'know, I'm kinda trying my hardest to keep that from ever happening," Naomi pointed out, though she meant it when she thanked him for trusting her the way he did. That didn't mean she wanted him to throw himself into battles without thinking like she did, though she should know that's just how the two of them flew together. "Guess there isn't any point worrying about it until we get there, though."
Count let out a hum of agreement, but he never gave a proper response. Instead, he turned his attention on Major Grimm and Genette as the two of them approached, something Naomi only knew because he lightly touched her arm to get her attention, drawing her attention from the map and her thoughts to see the two of them approaching. They were serious, not nervous, but whatever they had to say was clearly important.
Grimm cleared his throat to get Beckett and the others' attention before he addressed them. "Sorry about the interruption, but there's something we need to go over with you guys. Information that we picked up while we were in Anchorhead."
"It's been a while since then," Naomi's father observed, looking confused. They had enough to prepare for without more problems, and he must have realized this as he almost hopefully asked, "Surely it isn't urgent?"
"Well, between the attack and the communications thing, it completely slipped my mind," Grimm explained with an almost nervous laugh. "I wouldn't say it's urgent, but with how crazy the Eruseans have gone I think it's something to keep in mind if we're gonna be getting into a fight with them."
"It's easier to show you than explain it, so…" Genette paused, reaching into the black back he had over his shoulder – one that was larger than a camera bag – and pulling out a few files. All of them were labeled with roughly the same or similar titles. "It's all from an intelligence officer. A reliable source, as far as we can tell, with everything being well organized and researched."
Naomi raised a brow, taking them from him when Beckett made no move to do so. It had a recent date, from within the last year or so, though before the war. She opened it up, met by scanned photographs and blueprints of an advanced aircraft. Ones that looked eerily familiar. "Wait a sec, is this…"
"Hang on, is that the prototype drone Wiseman was talking about?" Count asked, peering over her shoulder at the file. "It looks just like the one they were tailing when you shot it down over Bulgurdarest."
Her father and Long Caster also approached, the latter looking like he'd seen a ghost when he laid eyes on it. "Yeah, that's exactly the one we went after. But…we barely had anything on it."
"Doesn't look like there's much more there," Beckett observed, craning his neck but making no move to get in on the huddle and take a closer look. From what he saw it seemed to make an impression. "Hey, Pixy, is it just me or does that look like…?"
He trailed off, but her father nodded, his eyes only just then flicking up to the aircraft's designation and the manufacturer's name. He scanned over the other details as he answered. "No doubt about it, whatever this thing is, it's Belkan in design. An ADF…X? An experimental drone?"
Genette looked over at Grimm, continuing only once he was given a reassuring nod. "Does 'Zone of Endless' mean something to any of you?"