Chp. 31: Slap-Slap-Kiss

November 12, 2049

OFS Icarus (CVN-62)

Annie forced her eyes away from the TV screen as one of the damaged F-35s came aboard. She had to look again when there weren't sparks or an explosion, and thankfully the aircraft had recovered safely. It flashed the scratches on its spine to the camera before it was guided out of the way. Three F-24s shot down, two F-35s damaged, an AQ-180 lost, and one more Lightning that would either have to ditch or take the barrier. One of the CAP fighters had apparently gotten to suffer the grim fate of having part of its rear quarter sheared off by one of the flashlights. Jed's eyes darted in the same direction as the camera caught part of the flight deck's crew moving to rig the barricade. When his eyes returned to the screen, he was greeted by the gun camera footage of his strafing run. Cyborg minimized the footage to let the virtual recreation of his flight take center stage. Brick leaned over to his friend.

"Got balls of steel, my dude." He commented.

"Thanks." He replied, though he wasn't really listening.

Annie shifted in her seat and squeezed one of the armrests as she saw the two shoulder-launched missiles approach Jed's aircraft. She knew how that would play out, given he was a row behind her, but watching it was still worrying. How close to the ground he was as the mountain walls seemed to be converging on him. She kept trying to rationalize how she would've done it without sounding like she was too removed from his headspace. Jed was doing the same, and he was realizing just how close he'd gotten to the terrain. He couldn't recall hearing his plane warning him about low altitude or what the altimeter had read. According to his gun camera, he'd been racing along at around 700 Feet AGL. As they went over it one more time, he noticed something as his gun spat a third of its ammo. They were muzzle flashes, small ones. Had the Eruseans been so spooked they'd fired rifles at him? The Songolian analogies just kept coming. Cyborg didn't have much to say about it, but she beckoned him to the front. Annie glared holes into the back of his head when she could get away with it.

"Were your HARMs able to track in that tight space, Bronco?" She asked, rewinding the footage to his final turn into the valley.

"No Skipper; as y'all can see Ah was practically on top of them when Ah acquired a visual." He replied. I'll be the judge of that later Annie thought.

"Viking, have your department look into alternate delivery methods for HARMs in this situation. Safe bet that this tactic isn't a one-off idea."

"Gotcha Skipper."

That seemed to be the end of it for Jed, so he let it slip into memory. The rest of the debrief was as color-by-numbers as it got. It was only when he was on his way out that the CO pulled him aside. She waited until the others were out, most of whom seemed to know why he was staying behind.

"Ah'm assuming that gun run didn't win too many fans, Commander." He admitted, taking the position of parade rest.

"I'm just giving you a verbal reprimand, Lieutenant, because I can't control the terrain or where the enemy puts their weapons. However, you do understand why that will be the only time you do that, yes? You and your plane are as important to this war as every other pilot and plane. We don't win by making snap decisions with risks like that. Do that kind of stuff again and I'll have to take more serious actions." She said in a calm but firm tone. Jed nodded immediately.

"Yes Commander."

"Good. Otherwise like I said, solid work from you and everyone else today. When Weapons has a alternate attack profile, I want you front-and-center for the presentation. You're dismissed."

Jed walked out and took his usual route towards the hanger deck, feeling a bit ruffled but glad that the skipper had been fairly understanding. Soon enough it would be a tale told with a wink and a smile at the O'Club, one of those daring stories retold in hindsight as dumb, but an extraordinary example of how chaotic combat can be. Something the ground crew would no doubt brag about, since gun usage was so rare. Or something like that; not even he was too proud of it. Simply because he'd been more pissed off when he'd gone charging in than anything else. He stopped next to a pair of F-24s in the middle of the deck and ducked under the nose to look at the cannon port. It had the faintest remnants of soot, and its status as a VF-164 bird told him he wasn't the only one who'd used his GAU that day.

Jed wandered on towards his quarters, and made it to a place he could take a shortcut when he found Annie there waiting for him. She made no attempt to hide the fact that she'd been waiting for him. Jed got the same feeling looming over him as he'd had with Cyborg. It was all but confirmed when she tugged him out of the hall and walked down a few levels. They ended up in a corner under some stairs, and Annie looked over her shoulder once before she slugged him in the arm.

"Gah, ow! Dammit Annie what was that for?" He grunted.

"You bleeding IDIOT! You absolutely brainless dolt! Did you suddenly develop the memory of a lobotomized goldfish?!"

She had to keep her voice down, but her words still came out plenty sharp.

"Is this about us or the SAM site?" Jed had to ask, though he had a hunch.

"Both!"

"Hey Ah survived, and Ah learned my lesson."

That did little to calm her. She slugged his other arm and buried her face in his chest.

"I'm still mad, Jed." She declared firmly.

"Oh come on don't start this shit of everyone and their mother lining up to lecture me on that gun run. Ah know it was a bad idea in hindsight. Please, Annie?" He replied, more pleading than annoyed.

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place."

"No, but Ah made a snap decision."

"I could've gotten in position to distract them so you could make a pop-up attack."

"Y'all could've, but the lesson's been learnt. We can truthfully say that we'll do it differently next time."

She muttered "stupid" several times and he simply stayed still. When she was done, she looked at him and gripped the front of his flight suit.

"Don't you realize how badly that scared me?" She managed, still quivering in fury. Jed said nothing for a minute, then hugged her.

"Yes, and Ah'm sorry." He whispered.

They were fighter pilots and it was war, but even he was aware enough to know that it wasn't a good idea to go there. He sucked down his pride as hard as he could and just nodded. If it calmed her down, he'd gladly do it. Annie stood up fully and broke the hug so she could look at him.

"You have me now, something to keep yourself alive over. I don't want you playing daredevil like this." She said, more to herself than him.

"Ah know!" He blurted out, feeling a bit panicked. Please no, don't tell me Ah killed another relationship!

"Say it, then!"

"Annie y'all know Ah know that! Please tell me yah know that!"

"I do!"

"Then why are we having this argument?"

"Because I want you to say it, you big dolt!"

"But y'all know Ah know!"

"Then just say it!"

"Ah realize now how badly it scared yah, and Ah'm sorry. Please don't hate me!"

The two stopped as it seemed they were going in very different directions of thought. Jed took in a deep breath and caught himself.

"Ah'm sorry." He repeated, reeling back his panic as fast as he could.

Annie held her tongue and sighed after a long minute. Sensing he needed it, she tugged him down so their lips could meet. They took all the time they needed to let the anger melt away, and when it was gone he then got one on the cheek.

"I would never hate you, darling. I can promise you that I will never, ever hate you." She emphasized softly, holding his head in her hands.

"Ah'm sorry. Ah overreacted." He said, rather forcibly.

"Stop being sorry already. I know you're sorry…and you don't need to say that aloud. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not here. Not now; it'd feel like Ah was making an excuse."

She hesitated at his insistence, but nodded in the end.

"Okay, when you're ready."

"Sor…yah know what Ah mean."

"Yes, so don't start again."

Now what she wanted was for him to shut up and kiss her some more. She leapt up to make him catch and hold her and draped her arms over his shoulders. The sudden change in emotions had left her a bit riled, and that manifested itself in more passionate kisses. She paused only long enough to make sure she calmed his fears, then nipped at his earlobe. She then moaned into it. Jed shivered but wasn't sure what to say.

"I thought you liked that, Leftenant?" She sang teasingly.

"Mmm…" He replied.

She pulled back so they could look each other in the eyes and yanked her hair out of its bun. He looked so lost, but he admitted he was tempted. It wouldn't be the first time he'd gone from fighting to intimacy. The way her hair fell down made her look very seductive, and she seemed eager to play on that. He could sense she was just a bit nervous as she tugged the zipper of her flightsuit down to draw his attention. Part of him was certainly eager, but his conscience was there to keep rationality in the equation. Annie seemed to be having the same train of thought as she realized she was getting a wee bit carried away. She wasn't exactly certain how to back down, though. The last thing she wanted was another Al-Faziz.

"Uhm Jed, darling? Could you put me down so I can fix my hair?" She asked cautiously.

"Uh sure, yeah…probably best we hit the brakes anyways." He agreed.

She was feeling more and more embarrassed as she got back on the deck and redid her hair. Jed stood by, like he was waiting to be dismissed. She stopped as she zipped her suit back up and fidgeted.

"I'm sorry, I got maybe a bit wrapped up in all the emotional upheaval." She rambled, trying to search for the right words.

"No, no yer fine. Ah know that y'all still have yer professional pride and Ah respect that." He insisted. This time he managed to catch himself before he started apologizing again.

"I'm sorry, I don't want this to happen like it did…that night…"

It would've been easy to start arguing again, but the same part of his brain that'd told him to back off told him this was his chance. Annie seemed like the girl to appreciate that he could be mature about these kinds of things.

"It's not like that night, Annie. Yer boundaries are something I should respect. It's part of keeping a relationship healthy." He declared.

Annie had never doubted he wouldn't, but she was still quietly impressed how he said it. A smirk returned to her face and she crossed her arms.

"Well said, Leftenant, well said…." She noted.

"Ah figured y'all would appreciate me showing Ah'm not as dumb as Ah seem." He chuckled, averting his eyes.

"I do."

"Besides, Ah want to make sure that our…first time…is done right. Ah've mindlessly bedded so many girls that even Ah've lost some sense of the investment required in making love."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. To me it's a huge step, or at least it used to be and should still be frankly. Ah want to go back to it being a huge step. It's something Ah prided myself on when Ah'd go chasing after women twice my age. Making them feel wanted, that a guy would want to woo them. Make it romantic and genuine, and leave them feeling like they just had the best night of their life since they were my age. Even if it's only one night when Ah was taking any sliver of hope of having a lasting relationship. Too many times where it was one night soured that."

He stopped before it got anymore depressing and forced a smile across his face.

"Well Ah guess that certainly killed the mood…" He chuckled.

Annie pushed up against him again and kissed his cheek once more.

"You're indeed much more mature than you let on. Color me very pleased." She said softly, letting some seductiveness back into her words.

"Ah promise it'll be worth it. No more stupid stunts, either; that y'all can bet on."

"You'd better."

She also felt the need to be just as ready and put just as much of her being into it. She still had her pride, as Jed had pointed out...

"That's wonderful news, Olavi. I'm glad; Lina and you always seemed very happy together and she's a very bright girl." Luukas smiled.

"Thanks Luuki, I was so nervous until I actually said it. Don't tell Lina but I was worried she'd say no." His younger brother replied over the phone.

"I won't, and I would be very disappointed if she did. My younger brother is a successful man and outstanding citizen. She would be wise to invest in that kind of stability."

His brother laughed, and Luukas was glad to hear that. There hadn't been much here at New Rovennti to laugh about, no matter how well the war seemed to be going for Erusea.

"We're holding off on the wedding until you can come home. We need time to plan, too. Hopefully Aiti and Isa haven't been bothering you too much about marriage since I proposed."

"I don't have much time to discuss it with them or think about it. Sadly I won't be able to discuss it much with you, either; I have business to attend to."

"Quite frankly, Luuki, I think you have a very firm reason for not thinking about it much."

"Yes, but between you and me I'm hoping that coming home as a war hero will cause Vlatka Pragovech to be utterly enamored with me and my natural charm."

"The soccer player? I thought she had a boyfriend."

"She will, and it'll be myself."

That got a more sarcastic chortle from Olivari. Luukas looked at his watch and, for a second, considered sacrificing a bit of sleep to keep talking to his younger brother. His conscience won out and told him he needed sleep before the next flight. He didn't get many opportunities to get more than five or six hours and he'd take them whenever he could.

"In all seriousness, I do intend to get married someday. As you said, however, I have more important matters. And I'm afraid that on that note I have to go. Others wish to call home, but I'll call again as soon as I can. Until then, I'll more than likely send out more letters or emails." He explained, trying not to talk too fast.

"It's great to hear from you Luuki, even if only briefly. Hope to talk to you again soon!"

"The same to you, little brother."

Luukas hung up and left the booth. The officers' lounge was starting to take in the overnight crowd coming off shift. He nodded and said hello to those few he recognized, though his friend Seppo wasn't among them. Mercifully, though, he was being sent home and he was alive. Luukas almost turned towards the squadron's building, but he stopped himself as his right foot started to pivot and headed away from the flightline and hangars. It felt like it'd been a lifetime since he'd walked across the base's main road towards several apartment-style buildings. The serenity started off discomforting, but then drew him in. The soccer field nearby was playing host to an impromptu match and a nearby grillkota was emitting the smell of sausage. He stopped and looked back as an An-214 got airborne. He imagined that in about half a day the crew would be waiting for the plane's turnaround by going to a local restaurant and impressing the local girls with their flightsuits.

Luukas imagined the company of a woman would be good right now. The few women on base were on the other side, in their own separate area to prevent fraternization. He thought about a few of the girls he knew back home while he hurried to his building. He was surprised by the clarity with which he remembered their names. Helvi Tuulola and Nevina Ponos seemed to be the ones that were fixed in his mind. Nevina always seemed to have a tongue and wit as sharp as her sense of fashion. She liked to carry herself more as a powerful businesswoman in an old period drama set in the 1980s…

"Lynx!"

The Captain turned his eyes to the figure that turned out to be Riku. He found he'd gone one flight of stairs too far.

"Pine, what can I do for you? Or were you trying to tell me I'd missed the floor my room is on?" He asked with a cocked brow.

"Well now that you mention it, that as well. My original intent was this: tonight the Colonel intends for us all to dine together. He wants to honor the squadron's achievements thus far."

"What's the occasion?"

"We've flown nearly 100 successful sorties since the start of hostilities and maintained an exceptional readiness record. Colonel Mistros feels that it's worthy of recognition for morale purposes."

"What time?"

"I was told 1800."

Luukas lifted his watch to his eyes and figured out for himself that attendance would be mandatory. It certainly wasn't the worst way to keep the spirits up. Maybe the good Colonel would acquire a proper bottle of liquor for the matter.

"Very well, then I must go if I'm to get some sleep. Farewell, my young friend." He announced with an air of finality.

Before Riku could say anything, Luukas went back down the stairs and onto the level where he shared a room with Yak. The man was out for now, leaving Luukas to very quickly retreat to his bed. He tossed his flight suit over a chair by his desk and let out a long sigh as he laid out on his bed. It'd never felt so good; he might as well have been at a vacation home. The cry of another An-214 reminded him of going to the city to enjoy himself. A place like Farbanti or Plavagla, bathed in a purple and orange glow like the cover of a synthwave album. He admitted he'd probably use his flightsuit to do a little impressing himself. Personally, the war could end while he was asleep and he'd be perfectly fine with it. Especially if it meant going home for some proper rest. With luck, it'd end in Erusea's favor by the end of the month.