Jake apparently gets tired of this farce very quickly. As the guard turns around for the umpteenth time, he silently moves from our hiding spot and approaches from behind the man. The second he gets close enough, he grabs him by the head and snaps his neck, catching his body and hiding it in the nearby bushes.
With no more obstacles barring entry, we quickly cross the distance and enter the third hangar. The lights within shine down on a group of planes slightly different from the others. We walk further inside, continuing to scan our surroundings for threats or signs of our target. Near the rear wall, I catch sight of one of the planes clearly mid-repair. The cockpit canopy is opened, revealing not a pilot’s chair, but a mass of wires, sensors, and circuitry.
“This… isn’t what we’re looking for, is it?” one of the soldiers asks.
“No.”
“Then what the hell is this?”
“That’s classified, unfortunately,” I tell him with a sideways glance.
“What the hell?” he complains.
Hitomi grabs my arm and I turn around to face her. She looks straight into my eyes with that piercing stare of hers. The stare that I can’t lie to. Her face says that she’s not going to drop it.
“Rion. I need to know. What are these?”
I look at her for a moment and sigh. “Fine. You technically have enough clearance anyway. You’re not going to like the truth, though. These are automated fighters designed to act on their own or in tandem with a single pilot or group of pilots in the squadron. As of three months ago, they comprise about forty-two percent of the Republic’s air forces.”
“What? You mean to tell me that, in all these missions we’ve been running, we might not even be fighting actual people? I mean, it’s good that we have to kill fewer people, but we’re putting our lives on the line every day to fight machines? That’s bullshit.”
“Now you see why we don’t want anyone to know,” I tell her, a sideways glance at the soldiers just outside hearing range.
If she wants to say anything else, she doesn’t get the chance. A loud, ear-splitting wail blares from all around. Outside, the sound of moving personnel becomes barely audible in the wanes of the din. Red lights on the wall pulse a visual cue to the alarms that I’m sure even the deaf can hear.
“I guess that means we’re behind schedule,” Jake says. “We need to get moving.”
We start moving toward the exit but, before we get there, it quickly swings open. In rushes a small group of base guards. The second they see us, they open fire without regard for any of the planes or equipment lying around. I guess it makes sense. The planes can repair themselves. We can’t.
I quickly duck behind the nearest cover as bullets whiz through the space I occupied just moments previously. As soon as there’s a pause, I pop out and return fire. My attack strikes one of the guards and he falls to the ground. Another guard drags him behind cover, but not before I land a shot to his shoulder. That makes two of them at least wounded.
The guards fire another barrage of gunfire and I jerk my head back behind cover. They certainly seem to have a renewed fury and the will to do us harm. We can’t afford to get caught up here, though.
Before I even have time to do anything further, the shooting stops altogether. I chance a peek around the corner and find two of the friendly soldiers standing off to the flanks of where the enemies were. The bad guys lay on the floor, motionless.
“Looks like you know your way around a gunfight,” Jake says.
“Unfortunately, this isn’t my first party,” I respond.
“Always good to have another good shooter around. Let’s get moving.”
We leave the hangar and quickly cross the distance to the next one. The second we enter, it’s apparent that this one is different from the others. Instead of a large number of planes, there are only six in here. Two of them in particular catch my attention. Their dark, angular frames almost seem to absorb the light around them. Well, I guess they do, to an extent. Stealth, ya know?
“This is the place,” I tell the team.
“Get to work, then. We’ll cover you.”
As soon as he says the words, more guards appear at the doorway and open fire. Our own soldiers duck behind cover and return fire, causing the enemies to back off a little. I fire a few shots of my own before running off to the farther of the two planes and climbing atop it. The canopy opens, and I hop down into the seat. The gel-like material in the seat conforms to my body and I set about working the semi-familiar controls. Screens pop to life as I activate the machine’s systems. Above me, the canopy closes and locks with a dull click.
“Is this in Russian?” Hitomi asks incredulously.
It just might be. I talk her through the process while I continue to adjust the settings in my own rig. Below us, the fighting intensifies as more and more soldiers pour into the hangar, threatening to overwhelm our own meager forces.
“Yeah, that’s totally not working,” Hitomi says. “The systems won’t budge an inch.”
“Ah. See the button at the bottom right of the screen nearest your throttle? Press it. It’ll soft reset the system and allow it to work.”
“I’m pushing it and nothing’s happening. Are you sure you weren’t destined for tech support or something?”
An explosion near the door catches my attention. Dust and debris fly from the epicenter and a whole slew of Republic soldiers rushes through the doors. I watch one of the friendly soldiers take a bullet and fall to the ground, writhing in pain. The fighting doesn’t leave any room for him to recover. A swarm of hostiles with weapons continues to approach them, all their bad intentions manifested in the form of a hail of gunfire.
“You’ve gotta go,” Hitomi tells me.
“Your plane’s not online yet,” I counter.
“I know. You have to leave without me.”
“I’m not abandoning you. There’s still a few things we can try to get you up and running.”
“Rion! Remember the mission. If we don’t get at least one of these things back home, this will all have been for nothing. Besides, the squadron can’t afford to lose both of us. Not now.”
“Damn it, Hitomi!” I exclaim, powering up my engines and rolling toward the opening hangar doors.
“It’s okay. You taught me strength at times like this, remember?”
Damn it. I roll out of the hangar and turn onto the path toward the runway. A glance back inside reveals our spec ops soldiers lying on the ground. It’s hard to tell if they’re dead or alive. One of them seems to squirm a little but makes no further struggle. Not that he could if he wanted to with all the enemies around him.
Hitomi stands atop the other plane, hands raised in the air in surrender as armed guards approach, weapons trained on her. Instead of defeated, she looks defiant, as if she has every confidence that she’s won. Damn it. I push the throttle to full and zip down the runway, soaring into the moonlit sky. Damn it, damn it, damn it.
“Panther One to Lee,” I call over the radio after adjusting the channels and getting some distance between the base and me. “Mission partially accomplished. One friendly returning home at high speed. Two was apprehended by hostile forces along with four friendly spec ops. Second target remains in enemy hands.”
“Confirmed, Panther One. We’ll be ready to receive you.”
Damn it.
Chapter 14
Lt. Col. Orion Tachibana
December 27, 2112, 09:45
A buzz of activity flutters around the briefing room. For the time being, it’s been converted into a makeshift second command room to accommodate the extra eyes. Data sheets are sprawled across the tables at the front, as well as on several chairs. The various screens display maps and other important information.
I would love to say that I went to sleep last night but, unfortunately, the heavy bags under my bloodshot eyes would betray the truth immediately. I landed on the James Lee at around half past three this morning after a short flight at max speed in t
he experimental plane. Chances are I would have enjoyed the opportunity to fly the thing if not for the situation.
“You look like you need a hug.”
I look away from the papers on my lap and raise my head from its resting place in my palm to see Saika approaching me, two cups of coffee in her hands. She hands one to me and sits down beside me, resting a hand gently on my shoulder.
“Thanks,” I tell her. “I probably do.”
She leans over and wraps me tightly in a warm embrace. We don’t let the friendly gesture last long enough to raise any red flags, though. Don’t need anyone to know that I’m as screwed up in the head as I actually am at the moment, right?
“How are you holding up?” she asks.
“Do you want the official answer or the truth?”
“I’d prefer the truth, if you don’t mind.”
“Barely capable of continuing to do my job. I feel powerless and defeated. Not exactly a good state for your commanding officer to be in.”
“It’s okay to feel that way sometimes, even for you. God knows I have on more than one occasion. When we lost Brian and thought we lost you, I almost completely lost it. I was angry at everyone and everything. Hell, I just about cursed out the President himself. For a while, I didn’t bother leaving my room outside of missions. But if there’s one thing our commanders—that’s you and Hitomi, by the way—have taught us, it’s strength and perseverance. Things will be better.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m just tired of losing people. The toll of this war is already way too high.”
“Well, if you think about it, we don’t know that we’ve lost anyone yet this time. As far as we know, they were just captured.”
“That’s true, for what it’s worth. Unfortunately, I now have first-hand experience with the brutality of Republic intelligence officers. We should find them as soon as possible.”
During my stint as a top tier Republic pilot, I saw a lot of things I really wish I hadn’t. On one occasion, I had the displeasure of witnessing an ‘interrogation’ as they called it. The heinous acts I saw that day still make my skin crawl every time I think about them.
“First hand?” she asks, concerned.
“Slip of the tongue. Forget I said anything. Let me get myself together and stop acting disgraceful. We have work to do.”
“Rion, you’re one of my closest friends. I know better than most that you’re not nearly as indestructible and stoic as you seem on the outside. That’s why I’m here to help you pull it together.”
I grin a little bit. “It’s gotten that obvious, huh? Thanks, Saika. I feel a bit better now.”
The moment is interrupted by the sound of a loud alarm. It echoes through the ship as the red emergency light on the wall pulses red.
“All hands to battle stations!” the admiral’s voice comes over the intercom. “Prepare for combat. This is not a drill.”
I jump out of my chair as the soldiers and sailors in the room bolt for the door. Saika and I sprint out behind them, headed for the hangar beneath the flight deck. Smith and the others join us along the way as ship personnel rush past us to their posts. The sound of an explosion vibrates through the hull.
“You’re all good to go,” the lead mechanic tells us as we reach the hangar.
I run over and climb into my plane, smacking the button to close the canopy as I fall into the seat. My plane is wheeled over and loaded onto the lift as I power the systems on. The screens come to life as the elevator rises and, by the time it reaches the top, everything is online. I activate my engines and check my controls as the flight crew guides me over to the catapult.
I give the nearby flight controller a thumb up and he turns to the launch operator, tapping his helmet twice before pointing forward with the directing cones in his hands. I’m forced back against my seat as my plane is flung from the flight deck at close to two-hundred miles per hour. I pull up to around a thousand feet, then level out as I wait for the others.
The second my radar comes online, I see a large group of enemy signatures approaching our cluster of warships. A massive, thunderous boom rips through the air as one of our battleships launches a volley in rapid sequence from each of its five-hundred-millimeter magnetic cannons. The shells are flung across the sky at such speed that only the trails of displaced air and water vapor are visible. They fly over the horizon toward the enemy ships and several of them strike the lead ship, utterly obliterating it.
I have to tear my attention away from the terrifying display of naval artillery as the rest of the squad joins me in formation. A group of enemy planes launched from the hostile carrier approaches our battlegroup at high speed, and we move to intercept them.
“Don’t let them get anywhere near our ships,” I tell my squad. “We don’t want to be swimming home.”
More planes soar into the air from the flight deck of the James Lee as we approach the offending forces. As soon as our formations come within firing range of each other, a wall of munitions fills the space between us. A missile flies toward me only to be destroyed by a burst of cannon fire.
I’m really not in the mood for these dogfighting antics right now. I have much more pressing concerns to attend to. As the thought plays across my mind, a realization hits me. These Republic fighters. They’re working with the same people we were fighting yesterday. Soldiers of the nation that’s committed so many atrocities and killed many of my friends. The people that took Hitomi away from me.
A rage begins to boil deep within me. I swing through the enemy formations, carving a swath of destruction as I go. Destroyed remnants of planes rain down into the ocean below. If this group of planes is unmanned, even better. The more money it costs those conniving Republic bastards, the better. Yes, it’s personal. It has been for a long time.
One after another, enemy planes drop out of the sky. Fire spews from my weapons with nigh-unbelievable speed and accuracy. Before long, I look around and find no more enemies to take my anger out on. I take deep breaths, calming myself.
“One?” Saika’s voice comes over the radio tentatively. “All the enemy planes are mopped up. What are your orders?”
“Stand by.”
I look around us to get a fresh grasp of the situation. The smoking shells of destroyed planes sink slowly beneath the waves. No more fighters approach from the direction of the hostile carrier, or from anywhere else for that matter. Our twin battleships have already decimated much of the enemy fleet with their massive cannons.
The remnants of their battlegroup have turned and begun to retreat to the north. In their wake, the flaming carcasses of three cruisers and a destroyer continue sinking at varying speeds. As much as I would really love to put that carrier at the bottom of the Pacific, it’s already too far out from our fleet to bother. I haven’t lost it enough to put my team in more danger than they need to be.
One of our battleships launches a final volley just before the enemies exit range. Through the enhanced view of the magnified screen on my instrument panel, I watch an explosion bloom from the carrier’s rear, rocking the ship in the water. The hit won’t be enough to sink it, but it’ll definitely ruin someone’s day. I smile a little to myself.
In the next few minutes, we’re cleared to land and I angle myself down toward the James Lee. My wheels touch down and I’m jerked forward a little by the inertia as the arresting gear on the deck brings my plane to a sudden stop. The flight crew quickly unhooks me and gets me loaded onto the lift so that the next plane can land.
Another three planes are loaded beside me before the elevator descends to the hangar, depositing us and going back up for more. After my plane is moved to its designated space, I power down all systems and sit for a moment in the quiet interior of my plane.
As I see the lift begin to descend again, I reluctantly pop open the canopy and climb down from my plane. Other pilots move around their newly landed planes observing them. Saika walks up beside me as I walk toward the exit of the hangar.
�
��You good?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for snapping me back to my senses.”
“No problem. I didn’t expect us to run into a Republic fleet though. Especially since they know how much more powerful our navy is compared to theirs.”
“My guess would be that they know we have their plane. They likely wanted to try one last effort to either recapture or destroy it.”
She nods and the two of us walk out of the hangar, headed back for the briefing room.
Chapter 15
Captain Hitomi Saruyama
December 29, 2112. 13:12
My blurry eyes try to adjust to the darkness of the room I found myself in upon waking up. A rattling like chains echoes as I try to stretch my arms and a force prevents me from moving them too far. There’s a dull pain in my body as if I’ve just been in a fight and a headache throbs at my temples.
Ever since I was captured, I’ve been getting the same questions over and over. They grill me repeatedly on the strength and position of our forces and try to get me to let slip any tidbit of information that could give them an advantage. When they get mad at me for not answering their questions, they get physical and start hitting me. As if that’ll change anything.
The sound of the door opening causes me to raise my head and I have to squint as the light blinds me. One of my captors walks into the room with his usual look of disgust. Behind him, another person lazily strolls in. A new face, huh? This should be fun.
For a while, nothing happens. The men just stand there beside the door, watching me and talking. I just look calmly back at them. Soon, the new man leaves his place at the door and approaches me. He walks completely around me twice before coming to a stop in front of me.
“So, this is the one that won’t break,” he says aloud. “Captain, huh? I haven’t had a chance to play with one of those yet. This should be fun. So, what do you have to say, little miss captain?”
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