CH. 4: FRIENDS
-24 Sept. 2010
On the leg back to Sand Island Nagase kept running the maneuvers Blaze was pulling during the battle. He flew as if he wasn't in the plane but actually was the plane. 'His flying was aggressive…' Nagase said as she watched his plane taxi to a park. 'And yet, somehow, graceful.' She watched him climb out of the cockpit and down to the tarmac. He let out an exhale after he removed his helmet. Nagase half hid behind the nose of her plane as he walked past her. But, Blaze noticed her out of the corner of his eye and allowed himself the faintest of smirks.
As they were changing back into their ground attire of trousers and jackets Nagase allowed herself a sneaking look at Blaze. He was shirtless with his trousers already on. She noticed there were three more burn scars on his upper back along his shoulder blades. She figured they were from the same fire as the one on his neck. She also noticed his build. He was slender, marginally thinner than Bartlett and with a good six inches of height over her at an even six feet like Chopper, but the meat on his bones was all sinew muscles making him look ripped.
Her 'ogling' was cut short when he drew a black form fitting t-shirt over his head. She then watched him withdraw a brown leather flight jacket. Oddly enough, he was one of the few modern pilots who had one of those. The jacket was kept to regulations with his gold 2nd Lt. bars on the shoulder tabs and nametag over the left breast. Nagase brushed her hair back behind her ears, one lock falling back to just to the side of her left eye, and turned back to her locker to remove her sweat soaked shirt and sports bra.
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Back inside they were all debriefed individually by Colonel Perault personally. Bartlett was first and received a stern reprimand. When he exited the office he had a whispered conversation with Chopper. "What you said to Blaze out there was out of line," Bartlett growled. "Even for you. So don't do it again."
"What do you mean, sir?" Chopper asked confusingly.
"I'm talking about the short straw comment," Heartbreak One reminded him. "I know he's half-Belkan but he's not the enemy. Kid has been dealt nothing but short straws his whole life. We're on the same team so you'd better start to act like it. And you cut him some slack. That's an order." Bartlett then left as the door opened to the office for the next 'victim'.
Blaze went in next since he fired the first shot. Though to Blaze he wasn't the first to shoot. He had known Perault when he was still a trainee at the base. He guessed the day Perault was required to pin his wings on him must've been a painful experience for the prejudiced fat Colonel. "It's only your second day back here on Sand Island," the Beluga Whale sized Perault sneered at the twenty-five year old 'unofficial' ace, "And you're already violating orders. You don't like to waste any time do ya?"
"It was self-defense sir," Nagase heard Blaze retort inside the office. She then tuned her ear against the wall to listen close. She could feel the tension in the office through the wall as easily as she heard the voices. "They fired on us without provocation and without warning. We acted only in self preservation. We were not the aggressors."
"I'll bet you Belkans said the same thing during the last war," Perault shot back aiming below the belt.
"That's cruel," Nagase whispered to herself. Chopper heard her and looked in her direction.
"That's got nothing to do with it, sir," Blaze replied forcefully. "No matter what I am to anyone doesn't change the fact that we were fired on by an unknown hostile force. But I guess that's not important to you behind that shiny mahogany desk of yours."
"Watch your tone with me, you Belkan rat," Perault growled. "Or I'll throw you in the shit can. Dismissed!" The door opened and Blaze marched out.
"I'm already in a shit can, you fat walking diaper stain," Nagase heard him growl to some ghost as he marched away.
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Nagase found Blaze sitting by himself at dinner as the setting sunlight streamed in through the windows. Chopper was outside playing Frisbee with the squadron mascot Kirk. Bartlett was talking with Genette and Pops in one of the hangers. She got her tray of food and sat down across from him. "Was it always like that for you?" She asked getting him to look up from his tray.
"What happened in the office?" He responded. "Pretty much. I've been called 'Belkan rat'. 'Belkan shit-stain', 'Belkan scum-bucket' and worse. It's not my fault who I was born to. My parents…" he drifted off. Nagase could tell the subject was like a knife in his chest.
"You don't have to say anything," Nagase said comfortingly. "You don't have to say anything at all."
"It's alright. My parents loved me. They're…not exactly the problem…They…died at the beginning of the last war."
"I'm so sorry. You don't have to tell me what happened."
"No I will. You asked earlier for an explanation on my callsign." He decided to confide in her since he felt he could trust her. He pulled back his jacket collar to reveal the burn scar on the left side. "I got this from that night…" he then told her, in whispers and in a low tone of what happened that night. His mother's rape and murder, his father's vicious death, his house being burned to the ground. The special ops team that rescued him, everything. "That's how I got burned, in the blaze that was set to my home."
"That's…terrible," Nagase whimpered for him.
"I didn't say a word for over a week," he continued. "When I was moved away from the front I was moved from orphanage to orphanage. None of the foster parents wanted to take me either because of my Belkan ancestry or because of my detached nature. That is, until I met this guy, Major Bill 'Bulls Eye' Hawkins. He was a retired ace from the war. He took pity on me and took me in. That's how I got hooked on flying," he said recalling the days of his rough youth. "He treated me good and all, but he wasn't exactly a role model father; he was an alcoholic and it was because of him that I vowed never to touch alcohol." It wasn't an uncommon sight for him to see his 'foster father' stumbled around the apartment in a drunken daze talking to Johnny Ghost. "So instead I'm addicted to coffee and jet fumes," he chuckled along with Nagase who flashed her white teeth. "He just provided a roof over my head and little more."
"You met Capt. Bartlett at the academy?" Nagase asked as they dumped their trays onto the dish belt.
"Yep. He's the closest thing to a father I've had in fifteen years," he said as they walked to the lounge. "I didn't have any friends up there either so I just hung out with him during my free time." He sat down in the same chair he did yesterday and pulled it closer to the sofa as she sat on the sofa with her back against the opposite arm. "I don't think that fact is going to change much."
"Well, I don't know if it means anything, but…" she said turning head to look out the window. "I'd…like to be your friend." He looked over at her in shock. No one had ever volunteered to be his 'friend' openly, let alone a member of the opposite sex. The dusk light cast a golden glow on her that made her exquisite features stand out. It hit Blaze right then just how beautiful Kei Nagase was. Her skin was smooth and without imperfection. Her face glowed like an angel's. Her eyes were half closed and stunning. Her brown hair was smooth and ran down her cheeks to her jaw line with the perfect shine to them. From her slender neck, to her shoulders and below, her frame was strong yet delicate and absolutely beautiful to his eyes.
It seemed impossible to Blaze that such a beautiful creature could be of his species; let alone be flying a war plane and had shot down two fighters earlier today. "Uh…really?" He asked not knowing what to say, still half paralyzed by her angelic beauty and sexy frame. She nodded turning her gaze back to him.
"You're a nice guy," she admitted. "And certainly a better person than some around here," she said referring to the block headed commander. "Plus you…saved my life today. Thank you." She also took note of his facial features. His jaw was strong and his hazel/brown eyes pierced her soul with warmth. She could make out his cheek bones on his face but combined with his other features they only helped to make him more handsome.
"You paid me back a moment later," he said leaning into the chair.
"Not really." She brushed off the compliment. "How'd you pull off that maneuver?" She asked leaning forward. "I've never seen anyone fly with that kind of grace."
"I'll let you in on a little secret," he said leaning close, their faces inches apart. "I usually answer that question by saying that I practiced and worked my ass off, blah, blah, blah. But, aside from Bartlett's tutelage, the truth is I honestly don't really focus too much on actually pulling the maneuvers." She tilted her head to the side in curiosity. "I just…do it. As if I'm not even human; sometimes I forget that I'm human and the plane is nothing but armor around my skin. That's what happened, Edge. I lost sense of being a mortal and became my plane in my mind." Neither noticed that Chopper had come inside and saw them. Their faces were so close together and positioned that to him it looked like they were about to lock lips.
'Man,' Chopper said to himself. 'Nagase must really dig that guy.' He thought back to how defensive Bartlett was towards Blaze and took note at how at ease Nagase was with him as well. 'Well, she seems to trust him. I guess I could be a little friendlier towards him.' He left the lounge and headed for his room where Kirk was waiting outside his door.
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The next two days went by without a hitch. The squadron performed combat air patrols (CAP) in pairs. Blaze was originally transferred to Sand Island as an assistant instructor and aggressor. He took the job instantly for two reasons. One: he'd be reunited with his mentor Bartlett, and two: he'd get to fly hard and fast down here as a real aggressor. But because of the rising tensions he was put on alert with the rest of Wardog. The training flights were canceled.
However, on the ground he still conducted classroom instructions on advanced air combat maneuvering (ACM), the slang term for it was dog fighting. He used gun camera footage from the previous war and even wars where propeller driven planes were still used. He'd play them in slow motion providing running commentary on the tactics being used. He also recommended the nuggets study up on the capabilities of the plane they'd be flying and those of foreign aircraft.
Chopper also began to open up more to Blaze. But he was still a little nervous around him. But Nagase hoped that would pass as he got to know Blaze better. She held great respect for her new wingman and friend. Especially when he was confronted by others who were not so understanding as she was. She asked him why he stayed in the Air Force if there was such rampant hostility towards him from superiors. "They don't respect you and refuse to allow you any comfort," she had said. "Why did you stay?" She wasn't asking out of rudeness, but rather curiosity.
"When I first flew in a plane," he answered, "It was an old MD-11. But when that bird lifted off the runway I could actually feel its restraint by gravity disappear. It became free. And I wanted to feel that same freedom." They were walking along the flight line at the time and the noon sun reflected in his eye showing the joy that he held for flying. "When I'm up there, especially pulling six plus g's and flying faster than sound, I feel totally free." They looked up to see a pair of seagulls fly over them. He always liked watching the majestic flight of birds like the seagull. "When you step back and think about it, birds are the freest of God's creatures next to humans. If they have the will they could fly anywhere in the world. Fish and whales are restricted to water and can't survive on land. Some land animals can't swim while others can but they can still be cut off by mountains or oceans. Birds on the other hand; nothing can hold them back."
Nagase also hanged out with him in the lounge which became their favorite place to talk. Their conversations were short, simple and always soft toned. "I come from a small town west of St Hewlett," she told her less dramatic life story to Blaze. "We didn't have much to do in the town so I would always sneak out to the airport to watch planes take off and land. It wasn't big enough for jets but the prop planes were enough to get me interested. I took flying lessons when I turned sixteen and after college I decided to try the Air Force. I originally wanted to be an astronaut," she confessed.
"Let me guess," Blaze said. "The Arkbird?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't meet the physical requirements. So instead I went for fighter training."
"Let me guess, that didn't work either?" Blaze asked teasingly getting a smack on the shoulder from his new best friend.
"Shut up, Blaze."
"Well, I've got to hand it to ya. I didn't even try for astronaut. I'm sure I would've met the 'official' requirements but I knew I still wouldn't make it."
"The same Belkan issue?"
"You got it. But, I guess I could still see you up there looking down on this planet from that White Bird. A God's Eye View, so to speak."
"Still," Nagase continued. "I made out good, I think. I still had to deal with the macho, sexist jerks at the academy who found it unnerving for a female to be in a cockpit. Hell some even tried to hit on me."
"Oof," Blaze grunted. "That probably didn't go over so well with you."
"No, I'd just as soon shove a corkscrew up their ass than date them."
"Ouch." Blaze could only respond with that one word.
Nagase deeply admired the depth of his intelligence and morality. And despite his penchant for getting mouthy on tense subjects, not much different from Captain Bartlett, Nagase began to feel a bit of kinship with him. And that kinship would begin to grow and be the key to many of their successes in the coming months.