Chp. 49: An Unassailable Will
December 12, 2049
RAF Norton Shoal
Sharky watched the RAF priest push open the doors to the ICU, but lowered his gaze the second he was in the man's vision. The holy man walked on without a word while Sharky went back to stewing in his own thoughts. His jaw was still a little sore from Shamu's punch; his backseater had done it out of love. Reasoning that only two men who'd flown together for nearly 35 years would understand. Shamu still seemed out of breath from having to eventually lay on top of his pilot to get him to calm down. Something the medics hadn't been particularly enthused by. At least that'd been something to do; the waiting was killing him. It felt like the night Kayla had been born, but with none of the excitement. None of the joy or pride or any of the guys from AFO Vampire to back him. Something was on his mind, but he wanted to wait until his fears were satiated before he said it aloud.
He watched people come and go from the Intensive Care Unit until he saw someone who looked important. He leapt to his feet and, like a scene in a movie, trailed the short-haired woman he assumed was a doctor. She seemed oblivious to him until he spoke up.
"Doctor? What was with the priest?"
He had a good feeling what it was about, but he needed to hear someone else say it. The woman stopped and faced him; any life that'd once been in her eyes seemed long gone.
"Squadron Leader Joshi is dead; as he was a man of Hindu faith, Pujari Gosavi ensured that his hands were in the proper position of prayer." She said in accented Lenish.
He guessed she was Barindian, like Shamu. A-Jo and him had never been close, but it still knocked some of the wind out of him. He stared and nodded repeatedly until the woman began to turn.
"His pilot? Flight Lieutenant Linchen?"
"His burns are severe, so we need to keep him anesthetized for now. He won't be talking to anyone for days, and that's if we're lucky. This matter requires patience."
"But he'll survive."
"We'll know more as time progresses. Again, this requires patience. Careful planning and timing. Once he's stable he'll be transferred to the facilities at Kenton. If we move too fast, he could easily join his friend."
Sharky felt his face warm over the choice of words. The doctor realized the same a minute later.
"We must be careful to ensure his survival, sir. That's how it is in this kind of situation. The good thing is that each good day builds on the last."
She excused herself after that, leaving Sharky to turn around and return to his seat. He looked at the keycard reader next to the door, but discarded the idea before it could finish.
"First time we've seen death up close." Shamu remarked.
"Yeah, I guess." Sharky replied distractedly.
"What's on your mind now?"
"Going back to when we were drinking coffee in Kinglane. I feel even older now."
"Thinking of reaping the rewards of many, many years of hard work?"
"I wish I could call Gale to talk about it."
"She'd be happy and you know it. She was already touchy about taking this assignment. If she had her way, we would've been pulled out the second the bullets started flying."
Shamu was eager to get his friend's mind off the state of Santosh. Both because he knew the man could easily get fixated on it. He'd turn it into a session of second-guessing his actions. Shamu didn't have any wisdom to share about it. Exhaustion had him running on autopilot, and he was also shaken by the affair. Sharky held his hands out as all his energy went into trying to explain himself. To put his thoughts into coherent words.
"...I don't wanna retire, not completely. There are plenty of ways for me to keep flying." He said, more to himself.
"There are, and that was my plan after this tour. Do some time with the systems guys or, if you really need to convince yourself you're a combat pilot, the detachment to the OAF's air defense guys."
"Yeah…It's weird, you know? Becoming attached to the guys we've been training."
"Oh?"
"Like, just sitting here worrying about Santosh. Honestly, the kid is probably one of the best local wingmen we've had. Emphasis on local; I don't want Blue or Peaches thinking we don't appreciate them."
"Just further proves that you did more than your share. We've done our job; we've made them think like us and they'll spread that knowledge. I think Santosh really looks up to you as a role model. I want to say we should've recruited him for the company, but I don't think he wants to leave Chakari. Not as long as it's occupied. He can do more good here."
"If he survives."
Shamu sat forward in his chair, then moved to another so Sharky would have to be face-to-face with the big man.
"If he survives, yes…have some optimism. For his future and for yours; the people caring for him know what they're doing."
Sharky sat back and avoided Shamu's gaze.
"What's with you today, man? Hell, the past months you've been going very hard on the idea of retirement. Blowing sunshine up my butt and all that."
Shamu came back with confidence not seen since he'd met his wife, Daci.
"Because I gotta make sure you're sold on this. Not just because I think it's a good thing, man. You've gotta be sold on that, or else you're gonna be ho-ing and hum-ing over it for who knows how long. I know how you tick. Inside your head you're wondering if you want this. You're thinking that things can't be so bad. They seem so stable, so why change?"
"Okay then, so why change?"
"Because you need it. You and Gale; I've been invested in this whole thing since you two were dancing around the matter at hand in college. Because at the end of the day, it's you who's supposed to bring me home from the fight. Home so I can go home to Daci. And if all that doesn't work, you know the real reason. I care about you, dude. We've been in this together too long for me to not care about you. And I know you care about me, too. Enough to listen."
Shamu waited patiently while the gears in Sharky's head turned. He heard a door open and saw a man in fatigues walking in. Shamu stood up first as it became obvious who he was here for.
"Runway is cleared and ya bird is fueled, mates. Still got yeh ASRAAMs and guns, and I was told to give yeh these." He said in a thick, thick accent.
Shamu accepted the two pieces of paper and handed one to his pilot. It was a flight plan that would take them back home. Sharky looked at his watch and switched gears to what the schedule back at base had said.
"Looks like we'll make it back in time for the next briefing." He commented dryly.
Not that he was complaining; they still had a war to fight and he wasn't one to just drop everything and go home.
"How soon can we get airborne? Or rather, how soon do they want us out of here?" Shamu added, looking at the Lenish airman.
"Know what it says on the plan, but as soon as you need. Not like we get any regular traffic." He shrugged.
"Thanks…well Sharky?"
The pilot nodded and started towards the doors. Nothing more could be done for his wingman, and they still had a war to fight. His wry look on the situation continued as he walked on. It would've been a shame for Santosh to recover and find out that Chakari was lost. After that, then he could work on his future with Rosenthal…
"Heya Tsun-Tsun. Surprised to see you here and not the stateroom."
Annie looked up at Yuki as she leaned against the bulkhead opposite her and flashed a wry smile.
"Came down to see how the others are doing, but no visitors. They need every meter in there. Besides, maybe you yanks are growing on me." She explained.
"I was kinda hoping you'd be up for a go at the Battle Tower again. Need something to get my mind off of all this shit."
"Did you manage to catch Rayquaza?"
"No. I save-scummed, but I just can't find the patience to go up the Sky Pillar again. We could meet in…Pacifidlog Town?"
"That's fine with me. Actually, I was thinking of going back to Mossdeep to try and get my gym badge. I think I've had plenty of time seeing the ocean. Maybe go to Rustburo and just…admire the scenery." Annie rambled, sighing as the real world crept in yet again.
"Seven outta ten; too much water."
The moment of bathos got the two to smile, if only for a few seconds. Yuki looked towards the doors to sick bay, then down the nearby corridor, and finally back at Annie. The Lenish aviator gave her a quizzical look.
"So you and Bronco seem to be getting along well. Lot more like comrades than co-workers." She observed in a low tone.
Annie caught her drift and replied by setting her gaze just above the woman's head.
"Yes, we are. Fighting alongside him and actually talking to him. Part of why I feel a bit more at ease here in the squadron." She replied.
"Guess that night in Al-Faziz was some kind of catalyst? Man, I've never seen him that drunk. Like, I've seen him drunk; we've all seen each other drunk. We party and we enjoy the camaraderie."
Annie's tone grew cautious.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not implying anything, Tsun-Tsun. Hell, only reason I bring it up is because he mentioned you the next morning. While he was trying to put the pieces together. I figured you had a meaningful conversation of some kind and hit it off."
It gave the other woman the chance to wiggle her way out of admitting it outright.
"A fellow woman's intuition?" She asked, just to make sure he hadn't shot his mouth off.
"Yeah. Even before that evening, he seemed a bit spaced-out."
"Probably because he saw me at the beach in a swimsuit, and realized that I'm a woman."
"...He didn't say anything stupid, did he?"
"He tried to run off when he realized it was me, but he fell face-first onto the sand. I think before that he was checking me out."
Annie allowed herself a smug grin; she was still proud how she'd blown him away. Yuki snickered.
"On brand for him."
Annie walked over and leaned against the bulkhead next to her bunkmate.
"Can you keep a secret?" She whispered.
"Depends." She replied slowly and cautiously.
"I think he's kind of cute."
Yuki stared at her for a few minutes, then smirked a little.
"Secret's safe with me. Like 'em kinda goofy, huh?"
"Perhaps~"
At that time, Jed pushed open the doors from sick bay with a loud sigh. He stopped as soon as he saw his fellow Daredevils.
"Hey guys, what's up?" He asked.
"Aren't you supposed to be inside there recovering?" Annie asked with increasing sternness.
"They said Ah was good to go. They said Ah just need to take it easy for a day or two. Light duty and all that stuff." He insisted, like he'd been caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
He pointed to the bandage on his nose.
"Turns out Ah just knocked my head around real good. Adrenaline dulled the pain until it became too much for my body. They almost thought Ah had a broken nose, but turns out it's just a nasty cut." He explained.
"How're Brick and Paddles?" Yuki asked.
"Alive. Brick is recovering from a bit of hypothermia but he'll make it easy. Paddles got a nasty concussion, but she's stable."
"That's it?"
Jed put his hands on his hips and grimaced.
"That's all one of the RNs was willing to divulge for the promise of a squadron patch and two candy bars. They're swamped in there, man."
Jed sighed and started walking; his fellow aviators followed him.
"Well, since we're still aboard the boat Ah assume the fire was contained?" He commented.
"They had it done in a few hours ago." Annie nodded.
"Ah heard the battlegroup commander over the 1-MC. He said we're heading back to Al-Faziz."
The two women nodded in near unison as Jed made a beeline for the nearest way to the outside world. He slowed to find a sign and a map to orient himself, then hurried up a few flights of stairs to the fantail. Annie exchanged an uneasy look with Yuki as their compatriot seemed to move faster and faster. As they traversed the corridors, they ran across Glue on his way to Sick Bay.
"Hey Bronco, glad to see you're out so-what's up?" He said, watching the man flash by.
He joined Yuki and Annie as they climbed some stairs, then another set and a third. Jed practically leapt through the hatch leading to the hanger deck and stopped the second the smell of sea air hit him. He looked around, then bolted towards the nearest railing. Annie and Yuki caught up to him as he stared at the ship's wake.
"Bloody hell, Leftenant Walker; what was that all about?" Annie demanded as she caught up.
"Something inside me just told me to stare at the ocean because it would prove that Ah'm alive and okay." He blurted out.
For a second he seemed visibly scared. Annie's face softened and she nodded. Yuki stopped a few paces behind to catch her breath with Glue just behind. She looked at the two of them, then stood up straight and cleared her throat.
"You're a weirdo, Bronco, you know that?" She said.
"And yet y'all still hang out with me." Jed replied readily.
The four stared out at the carrier's wake as she steamed to the south. Annie understood what had come over her boyfriend the longer she watched the waves. She jammed her hands in her pockets as a gust of wind blew over her and sighed with relief.
"Yes Bronco, you're alive. I'm alive and Tsun-Tsun is alive…and Glue's still alive." Annie said, noticing the other man for the first time.
"...Feels good." Glue remarked after a second.
"Yeah." Jed agreed.
Jed stood up straight and crossed his arms as he breathed out a "yeah" in agreement.
"Ah don't like the idea of withdrawing. Eruseans and Sotoans still control half of Chakari, and there's at least one more carrier out there. Plus that menace known as Tanager II. Thing's a bad omen at this point." He commented.
"They control it for the moment. We've hit them hard and hit them often. If that hasn't amounted to something, then there is something seriously wrong with reality."
"The one we live in or the one the Eruseans are in, Glue? Or for that matter, their 'allies" the Sotoans."
"The one we live in, cause it's actually reality."
There was one more pause before anyone spoke again. They all took a chance to enjoy the beauty of the ocean again and sort their own feelings and thoughts.
"...They best take a page from Rudyard Kipling." Annie remarked. She cleared her throat and spoke in a deeper, more masculine tone.
"Another lad dying on Kunlun's plains. The Emir's armies coming to slice up his remains. So he grabs his rifle and blows out his brains. Thus he goes to his god like a good soldier."...
"Sir, new photos from the Global Hawks. Thought you'd like to see them."
Major General Sam Nelson, commander of the Osean 70th Infantry Division, accepted the stack of printouts from his G-2 before the man went to the map display at the center of the table. He selected a certain part and had it projected separate the rest of the division's area of operations. The division G-3 hurried over as soon as she was done taking care of something else.
"So the Air Force snapped these photos around here, where the Sotoan 2nd Infantry is. This ridge that they've been using since the 4th." He outlined.
Nelson stood up and walked to the projection, flipping through the photos. It was what he wasn't seeing that had him interested. He looked back at the map, and the main view of the battle. Dozens of sources combined to create the picture, showing the position of friendly and hostile units. The 70th was currently working alongside the 11th Armored Division to keep the Sotoan's central advance at bay. Trying to grind it to a total halt before it finally overwhelmed two increasingly understrength Chakari regiments. They'd kept them about 30 Miles from the capital, but it wasn't something they could do indefinitely.
"They abandoned those positions? Where did they go?" He asked in a gravely drawl.
"Aviation is on it, but when I asked the same thing to our liaison I was told they'd likely moved north. Sir, I conferred with G-3 and she agrees that we should make a play to take those ridges."
"They'd give us a major advantage, sir. The route the Sotoans use to sneak in supplies has to go right past those ridges. We'd keep the freeway interchange nearby better protected against attack. If we plug up that supply route, then they'd have to go the more exposed route. The one that's being bombed hourly."
Nelson stood up and slapped the stack of photos against a palm as he thought. Things were in such a precarious state that it seemed too good to be true.
"I think they've run out of steam, sir." The G-2 spoke up.
"Have they?" Nelson replied with the rise of an eyebrow.
"Since the Navy rejoined the fight on the 14th, there's been an uptick in available air assets. According to the info our air liaison gives us. They must've withdrawn."
Nelson pushed his glasses back up his nose and went through the photos again.
"How soon until aviation can get recon birds over there?"
"Within the hour, sir."
Nelson leapt to his feet and moved to the map to find the nearest unit. He wasn't eager to waltz into a trap, but if those ridges were open he'd take them. It might get Osea back on the offensive.