The Ceres Ocean
October 5, 2010
Stripped of their equipment and shoved into a small room with a bunk bed and basic hygiene facilities, the pilot and wizzo of former Wardog 1 were close to losing track of time. With the lack of natural light in their confinement, the only way the two Oseans knew day from night was by their watches.
"Still alive, sir?" Oscar Ghost Gammon asked his commanding officer.
"Unfortunately." Jack Bartlett replied sarcastically. More than anything, he was bored out of his fucking mind. It was the late afternoon of the fifth of October. They had been confined to that room on the spy ship that had captured them for a touch over a week.
"We're still at sea." Ghost indicated.
"Yeah. Where do you think we are?" Bartlett asked.
"Man, I don't fucking know." Ghost chuckled. "Probably stalking a small coastal base on the north coast."
Bartlett chuckled with him. "Personally, I think we've been at anchor in the middle of the ocean for a week."
"I'd believe it." Ghost replied half-heartedly.
Interrupting the conversation between the two was a whistle that was broadcasted over the spy ship's internal circuit announcement system.
"Все руки. Приготовиться к стыковке через десять минут." A man, presumably the ship's captain or highest ranking senior non-commissioned officer, reported before the circuit went silent.
"What'd he say?" Ghost asked.
"Docking in ten minutes." Bartlett swivelled his legs out from the bunk so that he was resting on his feet. "I'll be fucked, we're actually making landfall."
There were footsteps outside their room. The door opened and in came a Yuktobanian officer dressed in a blue boiler suit. Outside was an armed escort, a man dressed in EMR digital camouflage and armed with an AK-12.
"Добрый день (good afternoon), lieutenant." Bartlett greeted their visitor.
"Good afternoon." The officer returned the greeting. "We'll be arriving in port shortly. Come with me."
At the officer's instructions, Bartlett and Ghost stood up and were escorted from their confinement to the fantail of the ship. The two Oseans were instructed to take a seat away from the railing. Bartlett stole a look at the topography of the landmass around them. They were surrounded on both sides of the channel they were entering by a forested mountain range. This wasn't a place that Bartlett recognised from any satellite imagery of major Yuktobanian ports.
"This isn't Okchabursk." Bartlett pointed out.
"Or Prizak." Ghost recalled his own local topographical knowledge. "Mountains. Somewhere in northern Yukto-"
"Hey." The officer assigned to watch the two prisoners of war spoke up. "Shaddup."
"Sorry." Bartlett mockingly apologised. "Just commenting on the view."
The armed guard watching over them received a call via radio. "Сэр. Вас вызывает командир передового дозора."
"Черт возьми. Следите за этими двумя." The officer muttered before walking off in a hurry forward.
Once the officer was out of sight, Bartlett stole a glance at the water to either side of the ship, evaluating the distance between them and either side of the bank of the channel.
"How far do you reckon that is, a thousand yards?" Bartlett whispered to Ghost. Ghost took a look himself.
"Not even that. Maybe seven hundred." Ghost whispered back. Bartlett looked at the guard. He wasn't paying attention to their conversation.
"I'm going to call him over and ask for the time." Bartlett nodded his head at the guard. "If he lets down his guard, we'll knock him out, steal his gun and dive into the water from the port side."
"Fuck, that's bold. What if somebody notices?" Ghost pointed out a flaw in Bartlett's plan.
"I dunno about you, but I'd rather die on my feet than on my knees in captivity." Bartlett replied. Ordinarily he would have been sarcastic, but Ghost sensed the major was being dead serious. He pondered for half a second.
"Point taken. On you." Ghost sat up and got ready to pounce.
"Простите? (Excuse me?)" Bartlett called to the guard in Yuktobanian. The guard looked towards them, his attention perked.
"Да? (Yes?)" The guard replied.
"Полагаю, у вас нет даты? (I don't suppose you have the date?" Bartlett asked. His voice sounded innocent, but his intent was anything but innocent. The guard looked down at his watch. His gun was hanging from its sling, his hands nowhere near the trigger. This was the perfect opportunity to make a breakaway.
As soon as the guard took his eyes off the two Oseans, Ghost pounced forward and striked with all six feet and six inches of his figure. The guard had no time to react before Ghost struck him with a hook to the side of his head. The guard dropped like a sack of bricks. Ghost knelt down next to the unconscious guard and stripped him of his AK-12 and some of his mags. Bartlett took the guard's radio and his remaining magazines.
"Take his rig." Ghost suggested, setting the fire selector on the AK-12 to automatic and looking out for anybody who might have heard the commotion. Bartlett undid the clips holding the guard's chest rig to his body and put it on.
"Let's get the fuck off this boat." Bartlett sprinted for the side of the ship and dived into the warm waters below. Ghost made sure nobody was looking for them before swinging his legs off the ship and kicking off into the water, making sure to keep a firm grip on the AK on the way down. They were free. For now. The duo started swimming away from the catamaran hulled spy ship to get out of the ship's wake.
"Fucking go." Ghost made urgent pace for the shoreline. "That guy's not gonna be out for long."
"I'm going, I'm going." Bartlett kicked away. The duo swam like hell, wishing to get onto solid land before anybody realised they were missing. The ship made a steady pace away from them and towards the presumably nearby port. Neither pilot nor wizzo heard any alarms blaring from the ship. Apparently they had gone unnoticed. After five hundred yards of swimming at maximum pace, Bartlett and Ghost set foot on solid land for the first time in over a week.
"Not a bad day for a swim." Ghost remarked, referring to the moderate temperature of the water. He let the barrel of the AK drain before jogging for the treeline that backed the bank of the river.
"Now…" Bartlett took a breather once they were within the treeline. "Where the hell are we?"
Ghost pointed to the climb they had ahead of them. "Get our bearings from up there."
"Not a bad idea." Bartlett agreed. "You've got the gun. On you."
The duo started their arduous climb up the mountain, drenched head to toe in water but filled with determination to remain out of captivity.
Sand Island Air Force Base
Two different kinds of celebrations were occurring on either side of the pond. While Bartlett and Gammon were celebrating their escape by running the fuck away, the garrison at Sand Island were getting their drink on.
It didn't surprise Ash that there was an entire stores room more or less filled to the brim with alcohol, but what did surprise the tacky pilot was the fact that Colonel Perrault had authorised its release to the personnel of the squadrons, companies and batteries that had helped keep the island out of Yuktobanian hands.
Wardog's squadron room was rife with the celebrations of Wardog and a handful of members from the other squadrons who had joined them in the fight. Including Ash, Kitagawa, Nagase, Wolf, Chopper and Grimm, there were just over a dozen people in the room celebrating. Chopper's godawful selection of rock and roll music was blaring.
"Can you take it all awayyyy?!" Chopper, Kitagawa, Nagase and some of the new pilots to the base were singing along to the song currently blaring over bluetooth speakers. Face Of The Coin from what Ash recalled while she sipped from a stubby of Jack Daniel's premixer, conversing with one of her peer squad leaders.
"So you got your callsign for drinking this stuff?" Ash asked Major Brian Jack Hall, a Raptor pilot and the leader of Coyote Squadron.
"Kinda." Jack took a sip from his own bottle of JD. "My unit had just gotten back from an exercise in Anea, 2003 or 2004, so naturally we had a party over that weekend."
"Oh god." Ash giggled, beckoning Jack to continue.
"Had way too much. Something like ten or twelve bottles of the stuff over the course of three hours. Anyway, some of the guys had family over for the whole thing, including the squad lead's sister! Smoking fucking hot, I'll tell you that. One thing led to another, next thing you know, I've knocked up my commanding officer's sister."
Ash snorted up whisky and cola. "You did what?!"
"Busted one in the captain's sister. Dodged a bullet in that sense, but I got chewed out for it and then some the day after." Jack had no shame about the entire thing. "Hey, that's how I met my wife, so I can't complain."
"It's always the stupidest things, isn't it?" Ash mused.
"Without fail, every time." Jack agreed, taking a swig of his bottle. "Blaze, isn't it? I doubt that was a ceremonious one."
"Alright." Ash leant forward. "I was stationed in Alaska before moving here. I made chicken and rice the night before, and I threw it in the microwave in the kitchen during lunch. Next thing you know, the entire thing's gone up in flames."
Jack laughed. "Goddamn it. Faulty unit or what?"
"Just really old or something." Ash chuckled recalling the incident. "I had to drive two hours to Anchorage to buy a replacement since we didn't have a spare anywhere on base. When I got back, everyone was calling me Blaze and it just kinda stuck."
"Could be worse. Baldy, bless the poor man's heart, burnt his hair off doing something stupid." Jack brought up one of his Raptor wingmen.
"Is that why he's always wearing a cap?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. Nasty looking scar." Jack answered.
"Ouch. Those kinds of burns are nasty." Ash took a large gulp, finishing off what was left in her bottle.
"You can say that twice." Jack agreed.
While the two squad leads were conversing, Wolf, Grimm and the Viper pilot who went by the callsign Trigger, Second Lieutenant Danica Macer, were playing pool. More accurately, Wolf was playing pool, Grimm and Danica were making fools of themselves trying to play pool.
"C'mon, there's two of you!" Wolf was making fun of the two F-16 pilots. "You're four points behind!"
"You'll lose this game!" Danica boldly declared, taking the stick from Wolf and lining herself up for a shot. She hit the ball off-centre, sending it spinning into the side of the table and not hitting shit. "Fuck!"
Grimm and Danica burst out laughing, while Wolf grinned like a madman. The ex-sailor hadn't touched any of the alcoholic beverages that had been brought to them out of principle. Grimm and Danica on the other hand were close to shitfaced.
"We can't let the backseater win Danica, come on!" Grimm joked about Wolf's WSO status, a joke that Wolf beamed at as he took the stick and lined up a shot. He hit the cue dead on, sending two of his balls into his pockets.
"Not gonna lie Hans-" Danica burped. "I think we floundered it."
"Ya think?!" Grimm replied in amused exasperation as he was handed the stick. Unlike his drunken partner in crime, Grimm managed to get a measly one ball in one of the pool table pockets.
"Slap me with a chicken, you actually got it!" Wolf was heartedly surprised that Grimm had gotten one in.
"Now watch as I take ten turns to get the rest of them." Grimm remarked, handing the stick to Wolf.
"I won't embarrass you like that." Wolf stated as he made his shot, putting the final ball in his pocket and winning the game, putting the score at five-nil to Wolf's advantage.
"If you won't, I will." Grimm declared. Wolf smiled and handed the stick to Grimm.
"I need to take a piss, back in a sec." Wolf left the two Viper pilots to go take a leak. Grimm lined up his shot, intent on at least getting all of his team's balls in the pockets before conceding the game.
"Hang on, it's my turn!" Danica objected, slipping through Grimm's arms and taking the stick off him. As Danica took the stick, she provocatively pressed her hips against Grimm and gently grinded against him. Grimm froze for a second, but decided to say nothing of it. He sure as hell wasn't complaining.
"How many do you think it'll take, fifty?" Grimm asked jokingly.
"That's being optimistic." Danica giggled, swaying her hips against Grimm's.
On the other side of the room, Kitagawa had noticed what the two were doing.
"Sheeeet…" The Sotoan transfer wizzo said aloud.
"What do you see with your elf eyes?" Chopper asked, not immediately able to tell what Kitagawa was gazing at.
"Don't look…" Kitagawa turned her gaze back towards her squad mates. "...But I think our Viper guy's getting some action."
Chopper and Nagase pretended to not look while taking a glance at whatever the hell Kitagawa was on about. Nagase saw it immediately. Her cheeks went a pale shade of red as she averted her gaze. It took Chopper a couple of seconds to process what he was seeing.
"Girl's got taste." Chopper said once he realised.
"Guy's got taste, you mean." Kitagawa twisted the perspective of that comment.
"Do I sense a touch of jealousy?" Nagase poked some fun at her squad mate. Kitagawa gave Nagase a dirty look, smiled and turned her head towards her pilot.
"Ash!" Kitagawa called Blaze's name. The latter turned her head from the conversation she was having with the Raptor squadron leader. Kitagawa beckoned with her hand to come over to the main body of the table.
"What's up?" Ash asked as she approached.
"Would you mind leaning down?" Kitagawa asked mischievously.
Ash leant down over Kitagawa. "Did you get bullied into a da-"
Kitagawa reached up, grabbed Ash by the shoulders, pulled her down and kissed her full on the lips. She tasted faintly like lavender. Kitagawa kissed Ash for a few seconds before letting go. Ash was totally red-faced.
"Proving a point." Kitagawa used a very brief explanation before turning her head towards Nagase. The latter was blushing. Ash looked between the two. Chopper and some of the other guys were looking between the trio with faces that varied between humour to surprise.
"I'm…" Ash took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. "I am not drunk enough for this."
"Try one of the double blacks." Nagase pointed at the nearby cooler, holding up a can of Smirnoff black she was sipping from on occasion. "Those'll knock you out real fast."
"That'll…" Ash bit her lip. "One sec."
Ash left the room. Everyone's eyes were on Kitagawa. She looked at everyone in turn.
"What?"
"I think you just broke the kid." Chopper replied. Kitagawa glanced back at the door.
"...Fair point. I might be back in a few." Kitagawa stated before standing up and heading for the door. Before she left the room, she picked up a case of Smirnoff black and made sure she had her phone on her before leaving. Out of Wardog's complement of six people at the start of the day, four remained, and that number was looking like it was going to drop to three real soon.
Ash was making a slow pace towards her dorm room. Her head was cloudy, both from being intoxicated and from what had just happened and her face felt like it was on fire. Ash felt a buzzing on her thigh. Her phone was ringing. She checked the caller ID. Kitagawa Isha. Ash decided to answer the call.
"'Tis Ash." Ash spoke first.
"Hey, figured I should check on you. You alright?" Kitagawa asked, sounding like she was legitimately concerned.
"Yeah." Ash replied. "Yeah I'm fine. Face is burning up though."
"The way you were making pace, you sure it was just your face?" Kitagawa joked. "Where'd you go?"
"Heading towards the dorms." Ash answered honestly.
"Figured as much." Kitagawa chuckled. "This'll probably sound bad in context, but do you want to hang around my room for the night?"
Ash slowed down a pace in her stride. Her brain was telling her no, her heartbeat was telling her yes.
"Fuck it, why not." Ash decided to throw caution to the wind. "Meet you there?"
"I'll be there in a couple minutes." Kitagawa abruptly hung up the call. Ash pocketed her phone. There were two ways she saw this going. The first outcome was the same as any other night, except that Kitagawa was her roommate instead of Nagase. The second outcome involved dirtier, more exciting activities. In Ash's mind, either scenario was a win in her books. Ash arrived at Kitagawa's dorm. Her nameplate was the only one on the door. There was space for a second, but it had long since been removed. Ash heard footsteps from the stairwell. Kitagawa appeared, carrying her dorm keys and a case of extra strength vodka.
"You brought an entire case?" Ash was surprised.
"Only the good shit." Kitagawa remarked. She unlocked the door and pushed through. "Kind of a mess in here."
Ash stepped inside and closed the door behind them. There was a pile of clothes on one end of Kitagawa's bed, but aside from that everything looked perfectly tidy. No one had slept in here in some time.
"Lonely nights, huh?" Ash said as Kitagawa put the case of vodka on the tabletop and removed the upper half of her uniform. Kitagawa was wearing a black tee shirt under her uniform.
"For a bit, yeah." Kitagawa admitted as she cracked open a can. "Haven't had much time to sleep in here because of everything that's been going on."
"Par for the course, isn't it?" Ash joked, cracking open a can of her own. Kitagawa raised her can.
"To Wardog."
Ash clinked her can against Kitagawa's.
"To Wardog."
The two took a seat and sipped at their drinks.
"So was that a dare, or something else?" Ash asked about the intent of Kitagawa's kiss.
"No. I was trying to flip Nagase's joke back on her." Kitagawa replied.
"What was the joke?" Ash asked.
"That I was jealous because a lady from another squadron was digging into Grimm." Kitagawa answered with zero hint of embarrassment.
"Well, were you?" Ash was curious to know if her wizzo was actually jealous.
"Eh. A little bit." Kitagawa admitted, smiling. "Ah well, can't win 'em all."
"Actually, skipping back a point. Who was digging into Grimm?" Ash was suddenly more curious about whatever was going on between this lady and the junior most member of Wardog Squadron.
"A second lieutenant from one of the Viper squadrons. Danica, I think?" Kitagawa struggled to recall the lady's name.
Ash thought about the name. She shrugged. "All the better for them."
Kitagawa burped. "Let's be real, there's zero chance in hell there aren't going to be other ladies waking up in someone else's bed."
"No, I imagine not." Ash giggled for more than one reason. "Now that I'm thinking about it, what are the chances there's other lesbians on the base?"
"There's a not insignificant chance I might have turned Nagase at least a little bit bi." Kitagawa answered. "The look on her face."
Ash laughed. "Stop torturing the poor girl."
"I'm just saying!" Kitagawa put her hands up in mock surrender. "I claim zero responsibility for any consequences of who I am!"
"So you take zero responsibility for me, then?" Ash poked some fun at Kitagawa. The latter raised an eyebrow.
"That'd imply that I'm the first woman to turn you." Kitagawa replied sharply, catching Ash off guard.
"You might just be." Ash thought about it. "I wasn't much into women in uni."
"Too busy getting dicked?" Kitagawa's dirty side came out. Kitagawa covered her mouth, surprised at what she had just said. She picked up her can. "This shit's pretty good."
Ash chuckled. "That and getting wasted. And I still fucking got my degree with flying colours!"
"You are dirty. Do you know that?"
"Not dirty enough." Ash threw some shade Kitagawa's way.
"You said I took zero responsibility for you, right?" Kitagawa said.
"That you did." Ash recalled.
"I'll take at least two percent credit whenever that uniform ends up on my floor." Kitagawa dared Ash to take things a step further. Ash seemed surprised at first, but then she smiled, stood up and unzipped the front of her aviator uniform. She was wearing a white tank top and gym shorts underneath that, so those came off too.
"Well?" Ash beckoned. "Does this count as two percent credit?"
Kitagawa grinned from ear to ear.
"Two can play that game."