A/N's: We are back with another installment of Kosun: 1950. From where we left off, the 501st left for the Kosun Peninsula. With the USS Essex and the rest of the 7th fleet steaming through the Fuso Sea, the girls are left to ponder on what they will do once they get to the frontline. So without further ado, onwards to the story!
Chapter 4: Blizzard and Typhoon
Somewhere in the Fuso Sea
"Control, patrol pattern over the southeast has been completed, awaiting further."
[Radio: Control copies standby.]
"Standing by," Elizabeth shot a glance at Claire, making a rather amusing face, causing her sibling to giggle silently. "What's taking them so long?" She said aloud before the voice came back, causing her to close her mouth in embarrassment.
[Radio: Whipray, divert course to 1-7-0 and make a final sweep, Sawhound should be finishing their patrol so RV with them.]
"Whipray copies," She looked at her sister. "Control, what do I do about Striker 6?" Claire couldn't stiffen her giggle and began bursting out.
[Radio: Say again?]
"Nothing, we'll see you in a few, Whipray out." Elizabeth shot her sister a wry smile. The two began to giggle again in the comedy of the conversation. After wiping some tears from her eyes, Claire flew in closer, closing the gap between her and Elizabeth.
"So how's everything back home?" She asked. Elizabeth gave the usual expression of 'You know, the normal.'
"Things are pretty quiet over there, mom and dad sent me a letter."
"Really!" Claire cheered. "What did they say?"
Elizabeth gave out a long sigh before saying, "Well, they finally made the down payments on the house, dad says his health is improving and mom said she finally found another job."
Claire smiled, "Well that's good news!" Claire noticed the concerned look in her sister's face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's… it's just that I feel bad for them." Elizabeth finally said.
"Why's that?"
"Both of their daughters are off in some faraway land, fighting an enemy that they don't understand," Elizabeth's tone began to tense. "Remember when I told everyone that I signed up?" Claire nodded her head hesitantly. "The look on their faces, it's still ingrained in my mind. That look of despair as if your child died in front of you," The last group of words made Claire stiffen a bit but she returned and edged even closer as Elizabeth continued. "They lost it when you told that you signed up, their faces didn't show it that time but I know, I felt it. I knew how they felt and I still get that feeling now." Elizabeth fished into her pocket and took out a scrap of paper. Just she opened it, she felt herself rock. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw the mass that was Claire as she clung to her waist.
"Is this breaking protocol?" Claire asked softly. Elizabeth looked at her sister and could only smile as the blue eyes buried into her.
"Yes, but this time… I'll make this an exception." Claire laughed before letting go and the two continued their flight path. As the endless ocean passed beneath them, Claire yawned.
"*Yawn* Uhhh… can we go back now?" Claire asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"We're approaching the RV point, we'll meet up with Sawhound and we'll get back in time for dinner, how's that sound?" Claire nodded her head and the two continued. After breaking out of cloud, Elizabeth's radio cackled.
[Radio: Whipray, this is Sawhound, where the hell are you?]
"With a tone like that, you will never impress the ladies." Elizabeth retorted.
[Radio: *Laugh* There you are, eastern sector looks clear and the others can't seem to find anything?]
"I was just about to say that."
[Radio: Who's your wingman?]
"Sibling. You better not doing anything funny, if she tells me anything, I'll rip you a new one Easterland."
[Radio: Woah calm down there, I promise you, but you never told me you had a sister cap.]
"Well now you do." As the two flew along, the flight of 6 F9F Panther's formed up around them, making a V formation with the two witches leading. The lead pilot waved at the younger Vaughn in which she waved back.
[Radio: 2nd Lieutenant James Easterland, Marine Corps Aviation.] The lead pilot introduced himself. Claire waved into the cockpit and saw the pilot wave back before turning to the front.
"Who's that?" Claire whispered, making sure that the radio wasn't on.
"Who? East? He's the CO of VMA-27, he and his boys fly support for us, a backup to a backup so to speak."
[Radio: Hey kid, your sister owes me multiple alcoholic beverages when we get back stateside.]
"Shut it you!" Elizabeth snapping back at the plane behind her. "He's the highest ranking member of his little band so the Captain decided to make him the squadron leader but that may change if HE OPENS HIS MOUTH AGAIN!" The last part being directed towards the pilot.
[Radio: *Laughing* you won't be able to find this batch anywhere else, we're one of a kind.]
"Pfft… unfortunately." Elizabeth muttered.
[Radio: What was that?]
"Keep your eyes straight!" The formation continued their linear path through the clouds, the energetic conversation of before no longer continuing. As the flight broke through a cluster, the air was suddenly alive again.
[Radio 1: Lead, this is two.]
[Radio 2: Go for lead.]
[Radio 1: Sir, I caught a glimpse towards the northwest, bearing 3-2-0.]
[Radio 2: Roger that I see it, you seeing this cap?]
"Negative, what is it?"
[Radio 2: Sawhound 2 saw something to the 3-2-0, let's check it out.]
"Copy, Claire, let's go." The flight veered off to the left and made way to the strange sighting. The air was still clear once they got there, everybody was looking out and scanning the openness of the sky for anything out of place.
[Radio 2: This is lead, that's a negative on unknown, let go h- what the hell is this?]
The air began to fill with white flakes, almost like snow. Claire made a grab for one of the falling particles, palming her hand, she watched as the white flake just withered away as soon as it landed. "This is sure ain't snow." Elizabeth noted, just as she said that, a shrill cry echoed through the air. Claire covered her ears as the sound resonated throughout her body.
[Radio: CONTACT! 12 o' clock high! IT'S COMING OUT OF THE CLOUDS!] One of the pilots shouted. The witches snapped their heads up and saw the oncoming black mass being birthed from the clouds. Instinctively, Elizabeth charged her Browning M2 and jinxed to the right with her sister in tow behind her.
"BREAK FORMATION! CLAIRE, FOLLOW MY LEAD, EASTERLAND, ATTACK IN PAIRS!"
[Radio: Sawhound copies, flight, break formation and engage in tandem, give that Neuroi something to shoot at.] The formation broke as soon as the first red wave made its way towards the water. Swinging around, Elizabeth kept the large object in her peripheral vision as she turned tightly to get below it. After reaching the lowest part, the two began zoom climbing, firing their weapons as they went, also receiving return fire which was mitigated by their shields.
"Damn this thing is a tough nut to crack!" Claire said as she changed the belt on her M1919.
"If this thing finds the fleet, it's going to be bad news," Elizabeth got on her intercom and began broadcasting to the area. "Any station this net, this is Captain Elizabeth Vaughn of the Carrier USS Essex, we are in combat with a neuroi at grid reference 249471, requesting assistance." She could only hear static on the other end. She put that aside as she pulled in front of the neuroi and fired into its red hexagon that stood in the center. Just as she was about to move, two Panthers came zooming in, Hispano's blazing.
[Radio: Cap, we can't seem to radio out, all that white stuff is jamming our long range communications.]
"I guess we have to end it here," Elizabeth finally said. "East, are any of your boys armed with HVAR's?"
[Radio: I think number 3 has them, number 3 do you read?]
[Radio 2: Copy lead, we're maintaining a holding pattern just to your south.]
[Radio: Belay that, prep for HVAR attack.]
[Radio 2: Copy that, turning around now.]
"Claire! Get above it and draw its fire!"
"Roger that!" Claire zoomed upwards and fired, blowing chunks off the top of the Neuroi exterior. "LIZ! I THINK I FOUND A WEAK POINT!" Claire shouted.
"Where!?"
"The upper portion!"
"Roger, Number 3 did you get that?"
[Radio: Making final run, prepping for HVAR fire in 3..2..1.. Rockets away, rockets away.]
As the small missiles slid off the racks, Claire flew back to escape the blast radius as the missiles made direct impacts on the exterior.
"Good effect, good effect!" Elizabeth repeated as she heard the Neuroi shriek. She moved to close distance with the wounded attacker and began firing and flying low off the exterior. The planes continued to fire and circle around, causing more damage. One cannon round struck in front of Elizabeth and from the impact hole, she saw an aura that could only be associated with the core. Before she could act, the black hexagons reformed and a beam came straight towards her but she dodged it time before climbing back up to the same location.
"LIZ GET OUT OF THERE!" Claire shouted, concerned with her sister's position. Elizabeth didn't move, her body seemed fixated on that spot. Giving out a loud gasp, Claire deviated from her course and made her way to Elizabeth but she was stopped short when a blue aura almost blinded her. "AHH!" She shrieked as she shielded her eyes. Opening them, she saw her sister glowing a bright blue and the color seemed to bleed around her. She watched as her sister raised her weapon, pointed at one of the black hexagons before pulling the trigger.
*BANG!*
A fusillade of magic infused .50 caliber BMG rounds smashed their way through the shell. The relentless firing continued until a loud shattering sound was heard and the Neuroi let out a deafening shriek before it glowed white and exploded into the white flakes from earlier. Claire opened her eyes after having them shut and saw the white flakes fall around her. In front of her was Elizabeth, still holding her weapon in firing position. Claire gently moved forwards until suddenly she saw her sister drop and make way towards the blue ocean. "ELIZABETH!" Claire cried as she blew downwards at high speeds. Seeing the figure falling further and further away, Claire's eyes began to well up as she screamed her sister's name again. Exiting the cloud cover, Claire watched as her sister's shadow drew closer and closer to its partner. She put out her hand as if to reach for her just as her sister disappeared into a flume of water that rose high into the air. "ELIZAABEETHHH!" She roared once again. In her grief, she noticed that there was a single white contrail that led out of the plume and into the clouds again. She quickly tried to recompose herself but the tears still persisted as she flew upwards. She stopped as she entered a space in the clouds and looked around. "Elizabeth?" She croaked.
"I'm right here…." A voice said softly from behind her. Claire turned around and saw the figure of her sister, held in the arms of another witch, her skin as white as the clouds around her.
"Ver...Veronika?" Claire asked. It indeed was Veronika, the Orussian night witch was holding the older Vaughn in her arms, her striker unit removed.
"I was on patrol when I heard your distress call, I couldn't really make it out due to the jamming but I went on with my instinct and now we find ourselves here." Elizabeth made an effort to sit up but the pain kept her back.
"Da..damn it sis, why do you always follow me?"
Claire rushed forwards and gave her sister a warm embrace as the tears she tried to hold back came loose again. After a moment, the two let go and the now group of three began to make their way through the sky. Behind them, they heard the drone of a jet engine and Claire turned to see the 6 Panthers forming up behind them.
[Radio: Cap! Are you alright?] Easterland asked quickly.
"I… I'm fine East, no thanks to you." Elizabeth said jokingly.
[Radio: *Sigh* Thank god, I take everything that I've ever said to you back.]
"You better, I was about to make you take it back anyway, regardless of the situation."
[Radio: Almost dying and being saved at the last second and you're still as hard as ever.]
"You know it."
[Radio: Hey, Claire?]
Claire turned to look at the pilot in the cockpit. "Hm?"
[Radio: You take care of her alright? She maybe a pain to take orders from but I'll have her in the sky with me anytime.]
Elizabeth laughed. "Pfft, you keep dreaming that East, you just keep on dreaming that." Leaving the falling flakes behind them, the flight continued onwards towards the setting sun. Claire drew closer to Veronika who was still scanning the area's ahead.
"Hey, Veronika?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks… for everything." Claire said softly. The Orussian's skin turned red as she felt the warmness through the cold air.
"It's… it's okay…." As they continued, Veronika saw lights in the distance. "There they are." She said suddenly before dropping altitude. Claire and the Panthers followed suite. Breaking through the cloud cover, the moving masses below them were finally revealed. "Control, this is Striker 7, we have a medical emergency, requesting immediate landing clearance."
[Radio: Copy, adjust heading to 1-1-0, medical teams on standby.]
USS Essex
Flight Deck
[P.A.: Medical teams report to the flight deck and standby for triage after touchdown, all personal man you stations, recovery crew standby for aircraft and unit recovery.]
"The hell is going on?" Asuka said bluntly as she dried her hair.
"Must be another drill." Kayo replied as she donned her uniform. Suddenly, the sounds of steps on metal echoed through until suddenly a figure appeared at the door. "Captain?"
"It's Vaughn, something happened." Yoshika said quickly before running off. The two witches were left bewildered, they looked at each other and hastened their dressing before rushing out the door to follow. Navigating down the corridor, they saw that the ship's crew were running about to their stations. They followed the sounds of engines and loud activity and exited to the flight deck, hitting a cool breeze as they exited. Kayo glanced to her right and saw men with red crosses on their uniforms and a stretcher lying in wait.
"HERE THEY COME!" One of the men shouted, pointing towards the stern. All eyes fixated on the green light that was edging closer and closer. Soon the light hovered over the center of the deck and began descending until the sound of metal and metal gave evidence of contact. Soon the lone figure was rushed by the entourage waiting on deck but not until it gently let down its passenger onto a stretcher.
"Oh… my…" Melissa stuttered, seeing her friend's body being carried. She rushed forwards and quickly grasped her hand. As the tears welled up she felt a tight squeeze that caused her to pause for a moment.
"I swear Melissa… your crying is going to keep me up at night." Elizabeth said weakly, but still showing wit. Melissa looked down at her XO and her grim look brightened before turning sour again and giving a ripe smack to the face.
*SLAP!*
"OW!" Holding her cheek, Elizabeth glanced at the fire in her CO's eyes. "Alright… I guess you could do that."
"Never… ever… leave me like this." Melissa said sternly, clenching her fist.
"Alright, alright, I got it. I'll be sure to leave a card before leaving."
*SLAP!*
"Alright, I deserved that one." Melissa let go of her XO's hand and made her way to the Orussian who was just disengaging her striker unit. She planted herself firm as if she prepared to receive order but was greeted with an enormous hug which shocked her slightly.
"Thank you…." Melissa whispered before letting go and heading off to follow the medical team. Her face red, Veronika was approached by her commander with her squadron mates by her side.
"You did good out there Veronika." Miyafuji said, smiling modestly. This caused the Orussian to smile in return as she was bombarded with compliments from Christiane, Kayo, and the others. Claire jumped and tackled the Orussian to the ground with child-like affection. The group had a good laugh and when all was finally said and done, the group remained on the deck, looking into the night sky which illuminated the clouds. With the cold air and the sounds of rubber hitting the deck, the witches took a good look at the sky. They thought about the battle to come, they made peace in their minds and sought to tighten their bonds, knowing that any day could be their last.
A/N's: Whew! Late worker on this one. I apologize for the late update, I've been kinda busy with school related things so time to write is limited, but I do try to work in the spare time that I do have. I hope that you guys enjoyed this portion and if you would like, please leave a review and a critique because it's always appreciated! And if you like the story so much, leave a follow or a favorite because that's cool too!
Things to know about: 2nd Lieutenant Easterland does seem to be bit low ranked to be the commander of a squadron, but being that the squadron only consist of himself and 5 others, majority of which are the same rank as him, it was more like a drawing straws for the CO's spot kind of deal.
- F9F Panthers carrying HVAR (High Velocity Aircraft Rockets). They did indeed carry HVAR's but not for an air-to-air roll for obvious reasons. The idea behind that was that since the Neuroi flyers are usually of immense size, it wouldn't be surprising that shooting rockets from a fighter and hitting the target didn't require much skill for something the size of a ship and even bigger. Hitting it with rockets would give aircraft more effective fighting potential in combat being that large types don't usually dogfight (Unless it unleashed drones)
- The white flakes are similar to those in the movie, they jam long-range communication but there are gaps where the pilots and the witches were able to talk to each other on short ranges. It may not be accurate but it was the only thing I could think of at the time.