Beyond the Clouds_Retaliation

by Daniel Chappell

  I line up one last attack run, taking aim at what looks to be the most vulnerable point. My thumb hovers over the ordnance release button, ready to send the missile on its way. A bead of sweat rolls down my face as I wait for the right moment to attack.

  Just as I press the launch button, a hurricane-force wind slams into my plane, knocking me off course. The missile wobbles as it corrects its course from the sudden change. As it flies toward its target, a massive bolt of lightning tears through the sky. I quickly pull up and sideways to avoid being zapped. A glance back reveals that my missile was hit dead on by the beam of electricity. All that’s left of the last ordnance our group had is a large, ineffective fireball.

  My brain plays through possible solutions as I silently curse the weather that’s literally out to get me. The remaining ground defenses continue to pelt us with fire and no solution to take down our target comes to mind. I could ram my plane into it and eject before impact, but there’s no guarantee that would do more than leave me stranded behind enemy lines. Again. It may be the only choice, though.

  I think it may be time to call this mission a bust while my team can still get away with their lives. Just as I’m about to radio in to command, my radar alerts me of a new contact. I look down and see an unidentified aircraft blazing across the sky toward us.

  A sense of dread fills me as I realize the only craft capable of moving with such blinding speed: The Republic’s High Velocity Engagement Craft. If a squad of those is coming for us, we have little chance of escape with our current ammunition reserves. It’ll already be hard with more enemy reinforcements coming from their nearby airfield.

  It’s strange, though, that only one plane is visible. Why not hide them all from radar if they’re gonna go to the trouble? That one visible plane gives away the rest of their positions. Why bother hiding them in the first place with that speed?

  The plane grows closer as I order everyone to withdraw a bit, not willing to show them our backs in case of a worst-case scenario. As we pull back, however, the aircraft doesn’t change its course. It continues to head for our former location at the center of the enemy base.

  I watch the blur streak low across the place, pulling up just before reaching the weather control device. Moments later, a series of explosions seem to pop out of nowhere on the weather device. There’s a brief period, then more explosions rock the huge machine from within. A huge pillar of smoke and fire flies out as a section of its top is blown off.

  Bits and pieces fly off from interior explosions as the device seems to self-destruct before my eyes. Suddenly, a massive, bright explosion pops it like a balloon. I shield my eyes from the increase in light and evade as shrapnel blasts high into the air. Once the smoke settles, all that’s left is a gratuitous, smoking hole in the ground.

  The mystery plane circles around to confirm the destruction of its target. I try to open a channel to the pilot to find out who it was that just saved our asses, but the plane speeds off before I get the chance. Just as quickly as it appeared, the hypersonic craft disappears over the horizon.

  “Well, that was… fortunate,” Saika says.

  “Indeed,” I reply, still watching the aircraft fly away on radar. Below us, secondary explosions continue to burst as the remnants of the enemy forces flee to safety. The weather control device has been reduced to little more than scrap and smoke. It may be my imagination, but I swear the weather is already starting to clear up. “Let’s go home,” I tell my team, turning toward home.

  Chapter 19

  Captain Hitomi Saruyama

  January 19, 2113, 22:31

  I push my hair out of my face as I sit looking out at the waters surrounding Misawa. This may be the last time I can take in this sight, at least for a while. My ride home to Osaka leaves in about half an hour and, when that time comes, I’ll be away from the base—and my friends—for who knows how long.

  Honestly, I’m still mad about Rion sending me home. Now that I’ve had some time to calm down, I fully understand that he made the right call. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. I don’t think I’ll even know what to do with myself at home alone while they’re still fighting.

  The wind picks up and a cold breeze smacks against my cheeks, causing me to shiver. I guess it’s about time I head back before I freeze or miss my ride. I stand and dust myself off, turning and heading back toward the dorm to grab my bags. Maybe I can catch up on some reading during the plane ride.

  As I approach the airfield, I notice a buzz of activity. Pilots run to and from hangars along with other base personnel. Maybe one of the squadrons got a sortie order. In the chaos, I see Johnson and Julie running toward the command center. I sprint a little to catch up to them.

  “What’s going on?” I ask when I’m finally running next to them.

  “Trouble,” Johnson replies. “No time to explain.”

  I stick with them as the three of us run into the command center and down the familiar hallways to the control room. Inside, radar and communications officers hurriedly work screens and filter information to their superiors. Colonel Feng stands in the middle of the room delegating orders and absorbing everything. As we approach him, I start to make out some of the communications.

  “… low on ammunition. The effect of our attacks on the target so far have been minimal.”

  Is that Rion’s voice? The person on the other end of the radio continues to give a rundown of their situation. That’s definitely Rion. Apparently, their attacks have done almost no damage to their target due to its active protection. They’re running out of ammo and, to make matters worse, enemy reinforcements are inbound.

  “Colonel, we’ve got to get another squad out there to back them up,” Johnson says. “At this rate, they’ll be annihilated without even accomplishing their mission.”

  “Have some trust in your commander, lieutenant. He knows what he’s doing.”

  “It’s because he knows what he’s doing that I’m worried. This situation presents them with few options and, if enemy backup arrives, they have no chance to escape. You remember the language in those orders as well as I do.”

  I’m sure the colonel does remember. Even I managed to sneak a peek at them earlier during the briefing. They’re to complete the mission at all costs. The orders went on to elaborate in a roundabout way, but the words translated like a line from an old shooting game: Kill them all or do not return.

  “You have a point,” Colonel Feng admits with a sigh. “Actually, I want to send them some help too, but it would be useless. There’s no way you could make it there in time.”

  He’s right. The trip took them over an hour, not counting detours. By the time another group of our fighters gets there—even if we use carrier-borne assets—it will be long over. There has to be something we can do to help them, though. Suddenly, a realization hits me.

  “There may be a way.”

  “Saruyama?” the colonel says, seeming to only just notice my presence. “You really shouldn’t be in here right now, but I’m all ears.”

  “The HVEC. The one we seized from the enemy is still on-base and operational. At max speed, it can make the trip in ten or fifteen minutes.”

  “That’s a good plan, in theory,” he counters. “But even if we could get the spooks in the intelligence division to sign off on using their only research sample, no one here knows how to fly it.”

  “I can fly it. I’ve been taught by the only person in the entire Alliance that’s ever flown one. That also happens to be one of the people we’re trying to save.”

  “Absolutely not. You’re supposed to be on your way home on medical leave right now. I can’t let you fly in your condition. Tachibana would have my head if I put you in danger like that.”

  “I understand the risks,” I tell him. “But this is the only chance we have to help them. If we don’t act now, we risk losing eleven of our best pilots. You’re always going on about how we have a shortage of skilled pilots. This is our chance to keep that from ge
tting worse.”

  He looks at Johnson and Julie for help. “What are your opinions on the matter?”

  “You’re right, colonel,” Johnson says. “Tachibana will kill us for sending her out there. But it’s also true that I have no idea how to fly that plane and it is our best chance of getting to them in time.”

  “I agree,” Julie speaks for the first time. “I think it’s worth both the risk and the wrath of our commander.”

  Colonel Feng looks at the three of us in turn, a thoughtful look on his face. After a few moments, he sighs and runs a hand through his gray hair, giving him a look like a tired grandfather. Without taking his eyes off us, he reaches down and picks up the landline phone on the desk beside him, dialing a number.

  “Diaz? It’s Feng. I need to call in a favor,” he says into the receiver after a few moments of ringing. “Yeah. I need to borrow your plane. Yes, that one. I’m aware of that, but this is probably even more crucial. Uh-huh. Great. I’ll need it loaded up with the biggest, most explosive ordnance you can fit.” He hangs up the phone and we stand for a moment, waiting. “What are you waiting for? Go save our guys.”

  Without a further word, I rush out of the control room with Julie and Johnson behind me. They give me a rundown of what’s been going on with the mission so far as we make our way to the hangar to get my flight suit. By the time we emerge from the hangar, I’m up to speed on the mission and the HVEC is rolling into place near the runway.

  The mechanic escorting the plane lets me know that everything is good to go, and I climb inside. Rion’s words come back to me and I power up the systems effortlessly. The machine hums to life and I can feel its immense power as I taxi onto the runway.

  “Havoc, you are cleared for takeoff,” the control tower announces.

  On hearing my temporary call sign cleared, I push the throttle forward and zip down the runway. Once in the air, I turn toward the direction of my comrades. Part of me secretly basks in the happiness of flying such a plane as I push the engines to go even faster. The machine zooms across the sky, approaching its maximum speed.

  With me already going more than three times the max speed of the aircraft I’m used to flying, I expected to be glued to my seat by the force. It actually doesn’t feel much different than it did when I first took off, though. I can tell there’s some amazing tech involved in that.

  The map on my HUD displays a zoomed-out view of the area with my position moving across it. It’s probably best that it’s zoomed out, given how quickly my dot is moving. Below me, the ground rushes past so fast that it’s less a blur and more a solid mass of greenish-gray color. My plane covers a little over a hundred miles every minute as I keep pushing at max speed, eager to reach my objective even a little bit faster. Everyone, please be safe.

  “Havoc, be advised that White Fang One is reporting all squad members out of ordnance. Hostile reinforcements will soon cross into engagement range with them as well.”

  “Copy all, Adler. Havoc ETA is two mikes.”

  An alert from the onboard computer informs me that I’m approaching the target area and I begin to slow down so that I can aim. As I get down to around Mach Two, the enemy base appears on long-range radar. The friendly dots of Rion’s group are visible directly over the center of the base, moving away on an angle.

  Let’s start the party. I arm my weapons systems and prepare to release bombs on the target. Travelling at this speed, it would be nearly impossible to accurately aim anything by hand. Luckily, the onboard system has a visual assist that appears in the form of a path displayed on my HUD. A red circle marks the point where I should release the bombs.

  I fly along on the plotted line, the enemy base growing closer at a more than alarming speed. The ground is close enough now that it’s a little terrifying zipping past. I’m sure the force of the wind and sound coming off of this plane is snapping some trees. In moments, I reach the red circle and my thumb lands on the ordnance release button, letting fly three massive bombs from the belly of the aircraft.

  My speed doesn’t give me time to even think about watching the explosives land. I pass over the target what feels like the instant I release the bombs. I’m several miles out by the time I’ve finished turning around to survey the damage but when I’m back in range, I can see just how effective the attack was.

  Massive explosions rip through the thick metal surface, sending smoke and particles high into the air. The bright flashes would probably have blinded me if not for the protection of the canopy. As I come back around, the massive weather control device disintegrates in one last, huge boom, the force violently swaying trees in the distance.

  “Havoc to Adler, mission accomplished.”

  “Copy. Well done, Havoc. Return to base.”

  As I turn toward home, someone tries opening a communication channel with me. Given that my mission doesn’t officially exist, I ignore it, instead pushing back to max speed and heading for home.

  Chapter 20

  Lt. Col. Orion Tachibana

  January 20, 2113, 00:23

  My plane touches down on the runway at Misawa and I slow down before rolling into place in front of the hangar. I power down the systems and sit quietly for a while as the rest of the team finishes landing. Once everyone is on the ground, I open the canopy and climb down.

  On the ground, the team gathers as we walk toward the squad room. There seems to be a little more of a bounce in their walk, the pride and joy of having completed our mission successfully evident in every step. Not surprising, given the history we have with the Republic’s former trump card.

  Inside the squad room, we find Johnson and Julie sitting and chatting with their squads. They stand and welcome us back as we pile through the door, congratulating us on a job well done. The other returning members take seats around the room and everyone looks up at me as I stand at the front of the room.

  “First, I just want to say beautiful job today, everyone. I couldn’t have asked for better performance out of anyone. There were a lot of hiccups and unexpected roadblocks, but we kept it moving anyway. Even if no one else realizes it, I know I’ve got the best damn squadron in the world.

  “The official stuff follows: Mission accomplished. The Republic’s weather control device has been completely demolished and our forces can now breathe a little easier in combat. This may very well be the blow that proves fatal to our enemy in this war.” A round of applause goes around the room and I wait for it to subside before continuing. “Lastly, Johnson, Julie, I don’t know which of you it was, but you saved our asses up there. If you hadn’t gotten there when you did, we might not have made it out of there unscathed.”

  “In the HVEC? That wasn’t either of us, man,” Johnson says. “You know I can’t fly that thing.”

  “If it was neither of you, who was it?”

  He and Julie look at each other before he answers. “Don’t kill us, but it was Hitomi. The plan to use the plane to get to you guys on time was hers in the first place.”

  “You know, I’m not even surprised anymore,” I reply, laughing. “Thanks anyway. I know you guys probably would have been the first in the air if you could have been.” I glance down at the documents in front of me to make sure I haven’t missed anything. “That’s all I’ve got, guys. It’s late. Get some rest.”

  The squadron members head for the door the second I dismiss them, many of them stifling yawns. It’s been a pretty long day for all of us, so I’m sure they want little more than to see their beds again. I’m pretty much in the same mind.

  “Rion, you got a minute?” Saika asks as she approaches me.

  “I’ve always got time for you. What’s up?”

  “Mind if we take a walk? I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Lead the way.”

  I follow her out of the squad room and away from the airfield. The weather out is a little warmer than it’s been, but it’s still chilly outside. She rubs her arms, trying to warm them as a cool breeze blows past us, a
nd I take off my jacket, draping it over her shoulders. We keep walking in silence for a while and I spend the time observing the night sky.

  “It’s a nice night,” she says out of nowhere.

  “Yeah, it is. The best part: not a storm cloud in sight.”

  “True that.” She gets quiet for a while again as we continue walking slowly through the base grounds. Out the corner of my eye, I can see conflict and worry on her face. After a while, she stops and turns to face me. “This is probably a terrible time for this, but if I don’t do it now I doubt I ever will.”

  “Hmm?” I raise an eyebrow inquiringly and she pauses before continuing.

  “Rion, I like you. A lot. I know we’re best friends and it’s not uncommon to hear me say that, but I mean romantically. I love your gentle strength, but I also like that you can be unbelievably fierce when it comes to protecting the people you love. I love how you can get distracted easily or be super focused. I even love how excited you get sometimes when talking about mission objectives.

  “I know you have a lot on your mind already, and I know it’s sudden to spring this on you. Obviously, nothing can really happen while we’re still on base, but I don’t want to let the chance to tell you how I feel slip away before I realize it.”

  I stand there for a moment, looking straight into her eyes and waiting to make sure she’s done. She’s right that this is out of nowhere, but I’m actually a little bit happy. I take a deep breath before beginning my response.

  “Wow. I’m nearly speechless to hear that someone pays that much attention to me. It makes me really happy for someone as beautiful, kind, and talented as you to tell me that they have feelings for me. But, I’m sorry. I’m in love with Hitomi. I can’t return your feelings.”

  “I know that.” She steps closer and hugs me, resting her head on my chest. “Let me stay like this for a while.” I put an arm around her and rest a hand comfortingly on her head. For a few minutes, we stand silent in the night wind. After a while, she lets go and steps back. “Thanks. I’m okay now,” she says, wiping her face. “Hitomi’s too cute for you to keep beating around the bush. You better catch her before I steal her from you.”