Beyond the Clouds_Retaliation

by Daniel Chappell

  “Nine to Adler, the target we just destroyed did not seem to match the description in the briefing,” Smith says.

  I look over at Hitomi, who’s been watching the nose-mounted cameras this entire time, and she shakes her head. Okay, so maybe not technically mission accomplished, but we more or less did what we came to do today. Not our fault the intelligence guys had the wrong target.

  “Understood, Nine. Come on home.”

  “Roger. Nine is RTB.”

  “Well that was… not far off what I expected,” Hitomi says.

  I raise an eyebrow. “I see you’ve gotten used to that part of the job then. They set up the pins, we knock em down. Even if they do send us down the wrong lane.”

  She giggles, barely managing to stop herself from bursting into full on laughter. “Your analogies are the best, Rion. Really.”

  “You’re far too kind, ma’am,” I say with a wink.

  “Would you two quit flirting on the job?” Colonel Feng says, more playfully than reprimanding.

  We dutifully go back to watching the screens and checking to make sure nothing out of the ordinary happens while our people are making their way back to the base. Before long, they’ve reentered Alliance airspace and we leave the command center to meet them at the hangar for debriefing.

  Chapter 3

  Lt. Col. Orion Tachibana

  October 28, 2112, 08:30

  Bright morning sun shines through the open window of my office. Drawing the shades seems to have done little to dim the near overwhelming light beaming through the room. A gentle breeze blows in from outside with the sounds of morning birds singing. Papers lay strewn on my desk in varying levels of completeness.

  “What do you think they’ll be like?” Hitomi, leaning on the side of my desk and looking out the window asks.

  “Hard to tell,” I respond in reference to the new pilots arriving today. “They’re supposedly very capable pilots, though. Top of their class.”

  “Hmm. I hope they don’t have personalities like Smith. One of him is enough to handle. Although, I will admit that he’s mellowed out a lot in the last few months.”

  “You know, I’m not sure anyone could be as bad with people as that man once was,” I say, laughing.

  At that moment, three sharp knocks sound loudly on the door. I call for the person on the other side to enter and the door slides open. In walks a woman with distinctly Japanese features and auburn hair down to her shoulders with a single, thick braid off to one side. Behind her enters a man with dark olive skin and dark, close-cut hair. As the door slides shut behind them, they stand side by side in front of my desk and salute.

  “At ease,” I tell them, returning the salute. “First of all, I want to welcome you both to Misawa Base. I am Lt. Col. Orion Tachibana, commander of the 35th Fighter Squadron. This is Captain Hitomi Saruyama, my wingman and second-in-command. I’d like you to introduce yourselves.”

  “Second Lieutenant Akane Miyamoto.” The woman is the first to speak. “Pacific Alliance National Defense Academy, Japan, class of 2112. Graduated top of class with high distinction.”

  I take a moment and just look at the woman, at a loss for words. She more or less just told me exactly what I’ve already read in her dossier. She seems so… stiff. Almost robotic, or even alien. Beside me, I can almost feel Hitomi roll her eyes without actually doing it. I try my best to keep a straight face.

  “That’s… a good start,” I say. “But what I meant was tell us a bit about you, the person. I’ve already read up on you, the pilot. We want to know a little bit about the person that’s going to be spending the foreseeable future with us.”

  “My apologies, sir. I was raised in Fukuoka. My family has a history of military service and I hope to be the next to dedicate myself in service of the Alliance.”

  I wait for her to continue, but that seems to be all she has to say. She really is worse with people than Smith. Never thought I’d see the day. There’s no sense beating a dead horse here, so I decide to just move on with the conversation.

  “Alright, um, thank you. What about you?” I ask the man.

  “Yes, sir. I’m Second Lieutenant Michael Thompson. Born and raised in Kyoto. I signed up to be a pilot because I’ve loved flying ever since my dad first took me up in his planes as a kid. My hobbies include reading and drawing. If I may also be so bold, I also have a lot of respect for you, sir. I’ve been following your achievements ever since you set the record for graduating with the highest rank in history. It’s all been very inspiring to me.”

  Oh, finally, an organic response from someone. I was starting to think I was losing my mind again. The soft fabric of my chair conforms to my back as I lean back.

  “Thank you, I’m flattered. It’s good to have you two on board and I’m sure we’ll come to learn a lot more about one another over the next few months. For now, let me tell you a little about our squadron, how we operate, and who you’ll be working with.

  “To start with, we’re a very relaxed squadron. Obviously, we take our jobs seriously and respect chain of command, but off-duty or while congregating in the squad room, things are pretty lax. You’re perfectly free to joke around with your new squad mates, myself included, as long as you listen to orders when they’re given.

  “I don’t know how much you’ve heard about the 35th before getting here, but I’ll go through a few things now for clarity’s sake. Last year, an incident that resulted in the death of the previous commander and much of the squadron caused a massive public relations crisis. The squadron was put under a huge microscope by both the command structure and the public.

  “Since I arrived here with Hitomi and many of the other pilots you’ll be meeting today, we’ve been working hard to restore the faith. Things have managed to turn around and start heading back in a positive direction, but we must work hard to ensure that we don’t make all that hard work for nothing.

  “Partly due to this reason, our squadron undertakes more missions than any other squadron on this base, or in the region for that matter. I’m not going to lie to you; it will get hectic. Things have been pretty quiet lately with the ebb in activity, but at peak times our squadron may run as many as seventeen missions in a single week. For that reason, I have to stress that you take whatever moments you can to rest up both your body and mind. Um… I think that’s about everything. Did I miss anything?” I aim the last question at Hitomi.

  “Nothing too major, but there is something you forgot to mention,” she says, then turns her attention to the other two. “Due to the intense demands of running constant missions, our entire squadron is given one weekend off—usually at the end of every month—as long as things are not in a state of emergency. During that time, we are relieved of all duties and responsibilities and are free to do anything we wish. We cannot leave the area, but we can go down to Misawa city and the surrounding towns.”

  “Ah, good catch,” I tell her. “Now, on to your squad assignments. This is the simple, painless, and quick part of the day. Lt. Miyamoto, you will be joining my squad as Captain Katsumi Takahashi’s wingman. Lt. Thompson, you will be joining Lt. Andrew Smith’s squad as Lt. Washington’s wingman. I’m confident that you will both learn about your squad mates and grow together. Any questions?”

  Neither of them says a word, so I continue. “Alright, then. I’ll send all of the other data and information you’ll need, including your new call signs and a detailed overview of your tasks and responsibilities within the squadron, to your data pads within the hour. Hitomi, would you please take them to meet the rest of the squadron?”

  “Sure thing. See ya later, cutie.” She says the last part with a wink, quiet enough that the others don’t hear her.

  The three of them exit my office and I look at the mass of paperwork on my desk. Two new pilots, huh? The squadron has been down two people since Brian and I were shot down months ago. My return did nothing to change that deficit since the first thing I had to do was arrest McKenzie. Based on their do
ssiers, both of the new pilots will be great assets to the squadron.

  Personality-wise, Thompson will probably fit right in. Miyamoto… she’s going to need some work. That strict, near-robotically formal way she was speaking isn’t likely to make her too endearing to the other members. With a sigh, I return to filling out the paperwork in hopes of one day seeing the full surface of my desk again.

  Chapter 4

  Captain Hitomi Saruyama

  November 3, 2112, 01:25

  The first thing I hear when I wake up is sirens blaring. I bolt upright and look around the room quickly, spotting Kat, Akane, and Saika rapidly dressing in their flight suits. Without a moment’s hesitation, I fling the covers from my legs and swing my legs from the bed to don my own flight suit. My foot gets caught in the covers, causing me to fall flat on the floor, but I recover, and within thirty seconds, I’m fully dressed and rushing out the door with the other three.

  I take a glance down at my wrist for the time and note that it’s been less than an hour since I even went to sleep. Those guys in the Republic sure do know how to keep a girl from her sleep. This is the third time in the last two days there’s been a random surprise attack. I mean, I know we’re on the front lines right now, but come on. Don’t these guys ever sleep?

  By the time we get outside, Rion and the others are already there and headed straight for their planes. With a little extra effort, I sprint even faster and jump, climbing up the side of my plane into the cockpit without waiting for a ladder. Helmet on, all systems check, engine start. The second the control tower clears us, we’re down the runway and in the air.

  The information that comes through the radio is jumbled and largely incomprehensible at first. So many voices speak all at once that it’s like a constant wall of sound. A few moments later, some of the voices die down and I can start to make out actual combat-related information.

  “Incoming from vector two-seven-zero. Combination of fighters and multirole planes, total number twelve. Additional incoming from vector two-nine-four. Mostly fighter-bombers with fighter escort, total number fifteen. Six additional incoming unknowns spread out from vectors two-four-two to two-five-nine.”

  “White Fang One here. My group will take vector two-nine-four. We’re the closest,” Rion tells the command room.

  “Confirmed, White Fang One. Be safe up there.”

  “You know, you have a really bad habit of always taking the hardest jobs,” I tell him.

  “Eh. It just seems to work out that way. But, honestly, I’d rather us deal with the hard group than send a squad full of rookies in there.”

  “True enough. Let’s do this, then.”

  The northeast Chinese landscape rolls along beneath us as we make our way toward the group of enemies approaching fast from the northwest. We were sent way up here from home back at Misawa to assist in defense against a sudden increase in Republic hostility in the area. So far, hostile has been an understatement with at least half a dozen attacks having happened since we got here.

  Soon enough, the approaching enemies get close enough to appear on my targeting radar. Not even a full minute later, our groups are in range of each other and the usual smattering of alarms and alerts begin screaming in my ears. I let the pilot instinct take over and launch myself into combat mode. Being outnumbered two to one, I have to make sure not to focus too much on a single target lest I let one sneak up behind me.

  Being the skilled pilot that he is, it doesn’t take Rion long to take one of the hostile planes out of the sky. There’s no way I can let him outdo me so easily, right? I line up an enemy in my gunsights and fire off a few bursts of cannon fire as they dodge and try to shake me off. Several attempts later, one of my bursts catches the enemy plane and sends it toward the ground with flames trailing behind it.

  I take note of Akane being chased around by three enemies. She moves deftly and tries everything possible to shake them off her tail, but the three of them stick with her like a useless AI companion from a video game. Kat is otherwise occupied with a few enemies of her own, so I decide to come over and offer some aid.

  The first enemy doesn’t see me coming, and that lapse in awareness results in him being shot down by my first salvo. In an instant I’ve latched onto another, who breaks off his pursuit and tries to shake me. Akane is left to deal with the remaining bad guy on her own as I dance with the extra. This one does not want to sit still long enough for me to line him up. Before I even get a chance, Saika flies past and catches the enemy plane in the side with a burst of fire.

  A glance at my radar reveals that a small group of four enemies has broken away from the fight and is heading away from us. They’re flying low and headed straight toward our base of operations.

  “We’ve got some targets breaking away,” I inform Rion.

  “Yeah, I see them. Nine, can you handle things here for a bit while we take care of the ones that got away?”

  “Don’t blame me if there’s nothing left when you get back.”

  With that little exchange, Rion, Kat, Akane, and I break away from the fight and head after the bad guys trying to sneak away. One of the other enemies tries to chase after us, but Saika sticks to him instantly and causes him to break off and evade before finally being erased from the radar by a crossfire between her and Smith.

  With our speed advantage over the fighter-bombers, we catch up to the group of enemies in little time. I’d like to say there’s some epic tooth-and-nail fight, but it’s really over in somewhere around twenty seconds. We come upon them and let loose a rain of fire that makes them all disappear rather quickly. A glance at the radar reveals that Smith’s squad really has finished off the remaining enemies in the main group.

  “—requesting backup. Enemy unknowns overwhelming us. God, what is with these things? This can’t be real.”

  The channel is cut out by static. Rion orders us to the last known location of the pilot that was speaking. As we approach the area in question, there’s not a single contact nearby, friendly or otherwise. A group of five hostile contacts can be seen on radar moving away at a ridiculous speed. At first, I think it’s an equipment error until Kat reports the same thing.

  “White Fang One to control,” Rion calls over the radio. “We’ve arrived at the location where the enemy unknowns were last engaging our forces. I can’t find any friendlies in the area and the enemy contacts are moving away from the combat area at high speed. I believe them to be a new Republic prototype aircraft.”

  “Confirmed. We’re reading a few rescue signals from the friendlies that were shot down fighting them. The other enemies in the area have also begun to retreat. Do not pursue.”

  “The technology advantage they have in the Republic is ridiculous,” Saika muses.

  “Yes, it is,” Rion agrees with a sigh. “Let’s head back in.”

  And so, with the depressing realization that we may soon be fighting enemy planes that are even more advanced than ours, we head back toward the base to land. Hopefully, this time I’ll be able to actually get some sleep.

  Chapter 5

  Captain Hitomi Saruyama

  November 9, 2112, 20:35

  “So, basically, we still have no idea?” I ask Rion.

  “No. Not anything concrete, at least. I have some ideas based on a few things I’ve seen, but I can’t really pin anything down.”

  “Something you saw when you were away, then?” I’d already gathered that he was undercover in the Republic during the few months that he was conspicuously missing after I believed him to be dead. I think I would have figured it out from the—very limited—information he gives on the time even if I hadn’t seen him first hand on a recon mission.

  “Yeah. I still don’t know how they would have done it so quickly though. The files I looked through had that prototype at least another year away if everything went right. That was three months ago. For them to have moved the schedule up this much… something’s coming. Something big.”

  He goes off into
his own thoughts, mumbling to himself as he thinks. He’s taken to doing so lately, much to my chagrin. We’ve been sitting in his office going over files, trying to figure something out about the mystery aircraft from a week ago. So far, no real luck.

  “Maybe there’s an angle we’re missing on this,” I say, pulling up radar and satellite feeds from the area on the day of the attack. “If we can just get the right angles on them…”

  I fiddle around with the controls, spinning the three-dimensional overlays around the room, walking through them and observing the information around me. I track the unidentified enemies on radar from the time they entered the combat area right up until they encounter the first friendly squad that went to meet them. If l can get a clear view…

  I push the radar over to the side and pull the satellite view closer, enlarging it to show more detail. After pinpointing the area of conflict, I zoom in on the action. The friendly planes are clearly visible, flying in formation to meet the enemy. Enemy planes? Not so visible. That is, I can clearly see that they’re there, but the image around them is blurred to the point that I can’t make them out well.

  “Rion, is this the only satellite feed from that day?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Were there any other friendly satellites over the area when we were fighting that battle?”

  “Uh… LSAT Seven was overhead if I’m not mistaken. Why?”

  “Hmm,” I mumble, looking for the information.

  I fumble around with the controls for a moment, looking for the relevant data. After a short search, I find what I’m looking for and the satellite feed pops up. Logistical Satellite Seven is one of the many super-high-res satellites used by the Alliance military to capture detailed information on terrain and movements. The technical wonders were even able to detect well-camouflaged enemies before stealth technology evolved to counter them.