CH. 14: MOTHER GOOSE ONE

-21 Oct. 2010

As if Chopper's natural giddiness couldn't grow any more. Blaze had just finished pinning First Lieutenant bars on both him and Nagase. Over the past week he had to bust his ass to get the colonel to agree to their promotions. "There's no way we could've beaten back the enemy time and time again if it weren't for them. Nagase is smooth on the stick and thorough in her duties. Davenport," Blaze tried to remain as professional about it as possible, "although being a bit of a heckler, is also a tough fighter and has proven able in combat." Finally, Perault agreed and the promotion was official.

That night Chopper couldn't stop partying in his room, rock and roll blaring through the night. "I certainly don't think the promotion was necessary, Blaze," Nagase said to her captain.

"Now you know how I feel," Blaze replied as he played with his Captain pins. "But trust me, you and Chopper handled the nuggets pretty well the other week. If that damn super sub hadn't shown up I'm sure we could've made some pretty good pilots out of a few of them by now. The rest would've had to gone back to Heirlark but I do know a handful that I would've kept around." 'Larkin, Beamer, Jones, Higgins…'

"Yeah," Nagase agreed. "But there's nothing we can do about it now."

"And it was about time those eggheads at HQ got all the squadrons transferred; and just in time for things to be winding down, too." But they weren't that way for long.

XXXXX

-22 Oct. 2010

"Now are you sure our IFFs are up to date?" Blaze asked Pops in the hanger. "I wouldn't feel honored to be shot out of the sky by one of our own SAMs."

"Blaze," Pops grunted, "Have I ever let you down before?"

"Look, yesterday we received word along with the entire Air Force that the current IFF signals have been changed. I just want to make sure that we have our 'i's' dotted and 't's' crossed. I just hope the Air Defense Command has done the same."

"Your planes are good to go, Blaze. That's all I can do."

"Alright then. See ya later," he and Nagase mounted up and took off to patrol Akerson Hill.

XXXXX

"Hey, you two," Nagase chuckled into her mask at Chopper and Grimm's conversation. "What's your current position?" She and Blaze had been patrolling the air space for the last hour and Chopper and Grimm were on their way to relieve them.

"300 miles south of you," Chopper replied.

"I heard that they're going to be holding a Mongolian bar-b-que tonight at chow," Blaze said over the common frequency.

"Mongolian, huh?" Nagase replied. "I never tried that."

"Sounds gross to me man," Chopper just had to butt in.

"Then don't eat it." Blaze shot back at Chopper. "Seriously, Edge, it's actually pretty good. It's a lot like stir fry only it uses a flat heating plate instead of a wok. You also use a lot of noodles, sauces and oils to flavor it up. You can put pretty much anything into your own bowl: rice, meat, vegetables, even pineapple. You'll like it."

"Sounds good," his beautiful wingman chirped.

"Yeah, I think I'll try it too," Grimm agreed. Static then buzzed into Blaze's radio a minute later.

"…damaged, but the damage is light," a pilot's voice called out.

"What the?" Blaze muttered.

"Transmitting aircraft," Nagase spoke up. "State your assignment and current status."

"Oh, finally a response. This is Osean transport plane Mother Goose One," the pilot responded. "We're on our way to North Point. Please come closer, I have the transmitter on low power."

"Let's go," Blaze said as they moved towards the radio signals direction.

"Ah there you are," the captain said as they neared the plane, a C-5B Galaxy. "I'm requesting an escort through the AA system. You see, we're on a top secret mission and for some reason we're not transmitting a friendly ID signal. One of our own missiles was mistakenly fired at us. We narrowly avoided a direct hit but it knocked out our radar." Blaze looked over the plane and saw some light shrapnel damage to the radar housing.

"Roger that, Mother Goose One," Blaze replied. "We'll guide you through the defenses." He switched over to Nagase's channel. "Looks like someone didn't get the memo."

As Blaze and his new charge neared the SAM belt Chopper informed them that long range radar had detected a squadron of unidentified aircraft coming in from the north. "Looks like we've got company," Blaze commented. "Nagase, you stay with Mother Goose One and help me guide them. There's a narrow corridor through the SAM system that I'll guide them through. You just aid the captain in following my lead."

"Roger," Nagase replied.

"If we bag this guy," an enemy pilot's voice carried over onto their frequency, "They won't just give us a medal, and they'll build a statue in our honor"

"What are these guys talking about?" Nagase asked no one in particular.

"Don't worry about them," the transport captain replied. "Just make sure we get through the AA system."

"Roger," Blaze concurred.

"Mother Goose One, switch your radio frequency to 136 MHz," Nagase advised the captain as Blaze followed the map overlay of the AA targeting zone. The defenses were arrayed in a specific pattern to allow a narrow, winding path through the majority of the SAM batteries. This was added in when a plane that was damaged in a mid-air collision during a routine training exercise tried to get back to base. Since his transmitter was damaged the automated SAM system mistook him for an enemy and fired on him. The pilot never got the chance to know that it was a friendly missile that prematurely ended his life.

"Lead fighter pilot," MG One called out to Blaze as he took another gentle bank. "Can you see us?"

"That's a 'roger'," Blaze replied.

"Thanks, as much as you can guide us in a straight line. I never thought the skies over our own country could be so unfriendly."

"You should try flying Ixiom Airlines next time," Blaze quipped to keep the transport pilot's morale up.

"Y-eah," the pilot chuckled in response. As he navigated the AA system Blaze used his rudder a lot to keep the turns wide and easy. Being the largest aircraft in the Osean inventory the Galaxy wasn't an agile aircraft when it was in perfect shape and this one was damaged.

"Warning," the co-pilot called out as they neared the northern edge of the AA system. "We have oil pressure trouble on the number four engine."

"I'll handle the controls," the pilot responded. "You check the instruments."

"It's okay; it was just a sensor malfunction."

'Man they're wound up tight,' Blaze thought. 'Just what is their mission?' "And that's all she wrote, Mother Goose One," Blaze said as they cleared the AA belt. "You're north of the ADEZ."

"Thanks," MG One replied.

"Blaze, I've got numerous hits on the radar," Nagase called out.

"I see them, six bandits inbound hot. Mother Goose One, turn away from the area, leave the fighters to us."

"Roger that."

"Chopper Team has arrived."

"Hey Kid," Chopper greeted Blaze as he and Grimm roared in after cutting their afterburners. "We're under your command now."

"Alright, form up tight," Blaze ordered. "Let's try and mask our radar signature."

"They'll think there's only one escort?" Grimm asked.

"That's right. And when we engage them we'll get the jump on them."

"I like your style, man," Chopper beamed.

"Agh," MG One grunted. "Damnit!"

"Your speed's decreasing," Nagase noted. "What's wrong?"

"Mechanical failure, we've lost engine one."

"Not good," Blaze noted. "Alright, Nagase, break formation and stay close to Mother Goose One," Blaze ordered. "Leave the fighters to us."

"You'll be outnumbered two to one," she argued.

"Just do it, Edge," Blaze ordered. "We'll be alright. Chopper and I have got Grimm watching our backs."

"What? Oh," Grimm stuttered, "right. Heh, heh." Blaze had a light chuckled before he snapped his mask shut.

"Okay then, Edge breaking formation." And with that she broke high and right and flew to MG One's wing.

"Let's kick some ass, boys," Blaze said as the three of them flew as close as possible directly towards the enemy formation. So far so good. The enemy remained in their standard echelon formation; they had no idea that they would be facing three instead of just one fighter. "Break and engage on my signal. One…two…three…" 'There!' "ENGAGE! Weapons free!" As the three Wardog pilots spread out they each fired an AIM-120 missile. Three fireballs confirmed direct head on hits.

"HA! HA!" Chopper laughed as both formations split and turned to engage the other. 'It worked, kid! They must've pissed their pants!"

"Hey! Get back in your seat!" MG One's pilot yelled.

'What now?' Blaze asked.

"Hey!" Blaze heard several gunshots over the radio along with the sounds of someone dying.

"What the hell!?" Blaze shouted. "Nagase! What's going on?"

"I don't know!" She responded. "Mother Goose One!" She shouted as it began weaving and shuttering. "Respond!"

"Uh," a new voice replied. "This is uh, transport plane Mother Goose One…The, the captain's been shot."

"What?"/"The hell?" Chopper and Blaze muttered simultaneously.

"There was a spy in the crew. The co-pilot is wounded and…uh oh, two of the engines have shut down."

"Damnit," Blaze swore. "What the hell is going on?" He fired a sidewinder and took out a fourth MiG. Chopper bagged another as another pair of bandits appeared heading for MG One. "Chopper, Grimm, I'm splitting off." He broke away as the other two took after the last MiG. Blaze raced full afterburner towards the transport. When he arrived Nagase was already fighting two MiG-31s. "Mother Goose One, report!"

"The captain's dead and Tommy is flying the controls, but he's just a secretary," the mystery man replied.

'Secretary?' Blaze pondered.

"So who are you?" Chopper asked as the sixth MiG was destroyed.

"I guess you'd call me the cargo on this plane. Uh, can you tell us how to fly this?" Nagase took out one of the Foxhounds and Blaze took aim at the other.

"Nagase!" Blaze handed her the duty.

"Roger. Lower your altitude. We'll prepare you for an emergency landing."

"Let's pull out," Blaze heard the last MiG pilot talk to his backseater. The MiG-31 turned north and hauled ass away in full afterburner. That ended the air-to-air engagement.

"Wardog, form up on Mother Goose One," Blaze ordered. "We're going to lead her through an emergency landing."

"An emergency landing?" Chopper snapped. "But the ground is littered with those power generating windmills."

"Then we'll knock them down with our cannons," Blaze replied. 'Not an easy task…but…'

"WHAT!?"

"There's no choice," Nagase agreed with Blaze. "Blaze, I'll stay with Mother Goose One."

"Roger, everyone else, on me!" Blaze scanned ahead with his radar and spotted four windmills in a large flat pasture. "Right there, Nagase!" He pointed her out to it. "Alright, gang, let's do this."

"Are you still there?" Mr. Cargo asked as Blaze, Grimm and Chopper shot ahead. "The one with the lovely voice, uh miss…?"

"First Lieutenant Kei Nagase," she replied proudly. "Sir."

"Aah, and a lovely name as well," Mr. Cargo beamed.

"And I'm Chopper!" The comedian trapped in a pilot's body quipped.

"Er…that's a good name too," Mr. Cargo muttered.

"I like you man."

"Oh, my God," Blaze groaned. "Motormouth!" He shouted at Chopper. "Quit talking and help us knock these giant fans down!"

"Oh, yes, sir!" The first two windmills fell to triple barrages of 20mm cannon fire.

"Okay, Tommy's doing his best but he's never flown before," Mr. Cargo said as the plane slowly descended. "I…I don't know if we'll make it. So I just want to thank you all for this."

"Don't think like that, sir," Blaze replied as he pulled away from the ground. "You're going to make it."

"Yes. You'll do fine," Nagase agreed. 'Got to keep their spirits up.'

When the last windmill was knocked down Blaze led the others back above and behind MG One. All they could do now was let Nagase do her thing and guide the transport to the ground. 'I guess this is what it looks like from the outside,' Blaze said to himself as he recalled his emergency landing a few weeks prior. Nagase also talked him down on that one.

"Okay," Mr. Cargo said as they neared the pasture. "We're almost there. You're doing great Tommy. Those pilots ought to recruit you."

'Good, Mr. Cargo. Keep your boy's morale up. Just a little further now.'

"Mother Goose One," Nagase spoke up. "Just keep going."

"That look's like a pretty good runway," Mr. Cargo said as they passed one hundred feet. "A perfect place to land."

"And the scenery isn't too bad either," Blaze added cheerfully.

"Touching down…now." Dust kicked up as the plane landed on the grass field. More dust kicked up as the brakes were applied and engines reversed.

'Not bad for a first time secretary,' Blaze thought inwardly. 'Maybe we should look into recruiting more secretaries?'

XXXXX

"Are you alright, Mr. Cargo?" Nagase asked once the plane stopped.

"Uh, yeah," he replied. "That's was actually a pretty smooth ride." As Nagase held a conversation with the secretive big wig Blaze kept an eye on their fuel reserves.

"Uh, oh," Chopper spoke up. "I'm almost out of fuel."

"Wardog Squadron," a voice called out as four planes appeared from the east. "This is the 8492nd Squadron. We observed the landing on our radar. We'll provide protection until the rescue crews arrive."

"Roger, 8492nd," Nagase replied. "Take care of them for us."

"Sure thing," the 8492nd flight leader responded. As they turned back to the south Blaze couldn't help but get a bad vide crawl down his spine when he heard those words.