Well hello again everyone, been a minute hasn't it? Back with a new story that came about from playing Azur Lane during the 2020 craziness and while deployed during that same year. I'd like to start by saying that the update process will be SLOW as I'm now a full time airline pilot and most of my time is spent on the road, but the good news is that most of the story is already here as I've worked on it on and off over the past few years. Uploading the first few chapters initially to see if it gains interest and will publish more if well received. Thanks again for all the support from my previous works and let me know what you think! Side note here is that the title for this fic came about from a movie called Speed and Angels that follows two of the last naval aviators to fly the F-14 Tomcat and their subsequent deployments. Check it out if interested, and I'd like to apologize for any trial and error with uploading these chapters. It's been a few years since I've last used this website but please bear with me, and I'll get it right for you guys. Thanks as always and Blue Skies!
It was happening again.
The same dream he had experienced many nights before.
Lt David Parsons was scanning around his cockpit as he ran through his pre-attack checks in his F/A-18E Super Hornet. He eyed his munitions stores and confirmed his payload: Approximately 800 rounds of 20mm cannon ammo for his nose mounted gun, two sidewinder heat seeking missiles, and four anti-ship missiles slung in pylons under his wings.
Satisfied with his load, he flipped the red guarded switch of the Master Arm and the reassuring glow of the "WPN RDY" light on the instrument panel appeared.
Nothing he hadn't done before, but this sortie was unlike any other.
Looking to his left and right he was surrounded not by other Hornets but by World War II era F-6F Hellcat fighters, SB2C Helldiver dive bombers, and TBM Avenger torpedo bombers.
Like always he soared above the main formation as his Hornet was much faster being the jet powered fighter that it was.
"We're at the initial point, commence attack!" he heard the lead bomber call.
Like always he hung back waiting for fighters that were sure to appear. Like clockwork they came; Mitsubishi A6M Zeros emblazoned with the Rising Sun on their wings and fuselages.
Parsons stayed high above and made swooping attacks letting loose only small amounts of cannon fire on each and one by one the Zeros fell, their brittle armor no match for the Hornet's cannon.
Finally he saw what the Zeros were defending and what his friendlies were now commencing their attack on: a Japanese fleet carrier. Like always David focused in on his HUD waiting for his anti-ship missile to acquire a lock.
But he had no sooner begun to receive the reassuring tone when his eyes landed on something new and unexpected, a lone girl with a long brown ponytail and dressed in a bright red dress wielding a katana standing on the bow of the carrier!
David's eyes went wide as he saw her appearance from his position: she was kneeling, obviously wounded, but still had a solid grip on her sword. Her expression was one of determination and defiance as she faced the American onslaught, but David noted something more; loneliness?
It was then that several torpedoes struck the stern of the ship and rocked it violently causing the girl to cry out in pain as if the torpedoes had struck her body directly. To David's horror he saw the girl collapse to her knees as she spat blood from her mouth, and her sword fell from her hand.
As if accepting her fate to die, she simply removed a worn photo from her white overcoat and began to cry upon seeing it.
It was then that she looked directly at David, still bearing down on the ship with the lock tone of his anti-ship missile blaring in his ears.
Her eyes made contact with his and David felt his finger slip away from the pickle button on his stick. He didn't have the heart to shoot, but no sooner did he lock eyes with her than he passed directly over the ship.
He made a panicked radio call to the friendly forces to call off the attack, but it was too late.
The wave of Helldivers was already releasing their payload and the last David saw of the girl and the ship was a giant explosion where the ship had been…