Azarin "Phoenix/Black Widow" Asinis's Story

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Lucky and Angel walked into the hangar, and lo and behold they had new planes waiting for them. However, along with new planes, they saw someone else standing with the Base Commander. It was a young woman with strikingly blonde hair and reddish eyes. Angel's first thought was dye and contacts, but upon closer inspection as they came within range she saw that she was in fact albino. It was kind of... strange, to see one up close and personal like this.

"Angels one and two, meet Azarin Asinis. She is your new number four pilot, and will be joining your squadron henceforth."

Lucky opened his mouth, but a glare from the Base Commander shut him up before he could get out a single syllable. Angel was a bit more enthusiastic, as they had one member who was grounded and were in need of new pilots. Still, it was odd to be receiving a new pilot without warning. Typically protocol demanded that they receive advanced warning, but whatever help they could get would be of help.

"Hello, I'm Angel. Nice to meet you," Kasumi said, extending her hand.

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Kasumi liked this new addition to their team. A strong, confident girl who knew who she was and what she wanted.

"Glad to meet you Phoenix."

Lucky shook her hand next, giving her a friendly smirk.

"Pleased to meet you. Welcome to the team."



The therapist came into the room with a clipboard in hand and sat down across from Chance.

"Well, Mr. Williams. You seem to have calmed down since last I saw you. But there are some questions I'd like to ask you to finalize my analysis of your mental well being and your capability to fly, so let's begin."

He jotted a quick note on the clipboard after looking Chance in the eyes, and then looked back to him.

"First, what caused the breakdown? Was it guilt? Shame? Anger? What caused the breakdown?" He asked.

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Kasumi chuckled.

"War will do that. I personally don't care to be known as the best pilot or anything. I just want to do my part. So long as I keep my country and my people safe, I'm good."

Lucky laughed, giving her a slap on the back.

"That's our angel. Always ready to serve! Anyway, Base Commander, do you have anything else for us?"

The Base Commander handed him a folder.

"Inside is a list of flight maneuvers that we'd like you to review with Phoenix here. She knows most of them, but since she was brought up at a different base, we want to make sure she understands how we run things here when it comes to formations and drills. So get to it."

"Roger that!" Lucky said with a salute.

They saluted the BC as he left, and Lucky turned to Phoenix.

"Alrighty then. Hop in your plane and let's knock this crap out of the way."



The therapist nodded slowly, listening to every word and noting what was said. He did a quick analysis of their progress thus far, and looked back to Chance.

"Very well Mr. Williams. I understand where you're coming from. Such a tragic past as yours is bound to leave some scars, though I'm happy to hear you say that this new team is helping to heal them. However, I must express some concern here. Given the short amount of time you've spent with them, I find it hard to believe that they could have had such an impact so quickly. How can I be sure you're not just telling me what I want to hear, rather than what's actually going on inside your heart and mind?"

He leaned in a little.

"I know the answer to that question, Mr. Williams. But do you? How can I trust you to be telling me the truth as opposed to just trying to get back in the air as soon as possible when and if I present a positive report to command?"

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Lucky was in his plane and ready as he began to taxi out of the hangar.

"Our number three is named Chance. He'll be along after he gets out of the medical wing. He had something of an... incident not too long ago."

Kasumi was in her plane and had just finished firing up her engines when she chimed in.

"Temporary mental breakdown. The weight of a tragic past mixed with disappointing news from above caused him to kind of go nuts for a bit. Last I checked he was stable and doing well, but I'm no professional so I'll leave it to the meds to decide."

"Yeah, in the meantime, let's get in the air."

"Roger."

Lucky and Kasumi both taxied out to Runway 2, where they fired up the afterburners and took off one right after the other. The new planes felt wonderful, and strong. Their old planes were beginning to shake apart, and felt as rickety as they looked. These new planes were solid, which gave both a sense of comfort and confidence.

"Alright, command really came through for us with these babies," Lucky said.

"Yeah, it feels great to be back in a solid plane again," Kasumi replied.

"Ya'll good to go down there Phoenix?" Lucky called out.



"Hmm..."

The therapist jotted down a few points on the clipboard and leaned back, looking at the ceiling for a moment before examining Chance and his expression again.

"I can appreciate your sentiments, Mr. Williams. I still have a few concerns though."

He sat straight and took a breath.

"Your constant return to the idea of "protecting" still concerns me, as I'm not sure you fully understand what that means. Everyone who signs on to the military has it in their head to serve and protect their country, but when I look at you and listen to you, I get the feeling that your version of protection for your country and people is different than the one normally referred to."

He took a moment to look at a picture on the wall.

"Were you aware that the man in that photo was once a legendary Ace pilot in our air force? Not many know of his existence at all since his background was a blank slate since all of his records were destroyed when the base he was stationed at was attacked in the last war about one hundred and fifty years ago. He was a lot like you. His most famous speech to his comrades was that he 'lived and breathed to protect them since they were as family.'"

He looked back to Chance.

"Do you know how he died? He performed a kamikaze self sacrifice into a warship that was thought to be the center of the enemy's naval attack force, but it was just a decoy ship. That maneuver broke the morale of our own troops, since they relied on his support from the air, as well as bolstered the enemy's naval momentum against us. His sacrifice was in vain, and nearly cost us the war."

He leaned in a bit.

"I'm concerned that you would pull something like that if given the chance. Your attitude towards what you wish to protect may have changed a little, but your nature as a pilot and a human being are not so easily changed. I am at odds with myself right now as to whether or not I can afford to give a positive report to command and approve your license being reinstated. So what I will do is this: I will petition command to renew your license to fly for one mission, as your team is preparing for a new one right now. If that petition goes through, you will fly with them on their next deployment. I, along with several others, will monitor your behavior before, during, and after the mission. If your behavior is satisfactory, then your license will be reinstated and this whole issue will go away."

He regarded Chance.

"If this is acceptable, then you may leave this medical wing and make your way to the runways to watch your team practice their formations with your newest teammate. Since your license is still in suspension, you will not be allowed to fly and your plane remains locked in another hangar. You'll be forced to remain on the ground until I can confirm this petition with command, and then my offer still only applies if they accept the petition at all."

Chance walks and he see planes flying around soaring in the air doing incredible stunts and formations.

"I wish I was up there..." He says as he sighed.

He would love to meet the new pilot, it would certainly be interesting.

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"This is Angel 1, ready to begin."

"Angel 2, following in formation."

Lucky led them through the paces.

Simple formations beginning with a 1-2, a triangle for simplicity's sake, and moving on to horizontal line ups both forward to back and side to side, vertical lines with Lucky at the highest altitude, Angel in the middle, and Phoenix down below, etc,. Each one was slightly more difficult than the last, but the team got through it without any issues. Next up were basic attack runs. Targets were set up on the ocean a few miles away and were designed to be destroyed. Lucky practiced basic attack runs, bombing runs, and avoidance maneuvers with digital missiles and SAAMs being launched at them from the targets.

The entire process took about an hour and a half from beginning to end. Once they were finished running through the basics and teaching Phoenix a few new formations, they landed their planes and parked them in Hangar C as before where they exited and hopped down to the ground.

He ran to Hangar C to go and greet them.

"Hey guys!" Chance yelled waving at them.

"Sorry about everything that's been happening." Chance said apologetically.

He felt a bit down from the feeling of letting his team down but decided not to show it.

"Nice moves, by the way, where's the our new pilot?" I chance said curiously.

He was hoping to meet the new pilot, having new friends is always great in his opinion.

Chance immediately saw the pilot, and found her...fascinating considering she was an albino. He simply just ignored the other two and went over to Azarin.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it while doing a bow, and stood up nonchalantly.

"Yup! That's my name, and callsign is BP. So I could remember my old squadron, so you are the new pilot uh?" He said curiously.

"You sure are one hell of a flier, and pretty too." chance said in the most flirty, yet inconspicuous ways as possible.

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Lucky and Kasumi laughed.

"Well Casanova, I'm glad you like our newest team member. Now, since we're finished here, it's time to get back to the briefing room to meet with Base Commander about the details of our next mission. If I'm not mistaken, we'll be deployed tomorrow morning around 0800 or so. But I haven't confirmed that info yet."

He looked to Chance.

"Chance, since you still aren't approved to fly yet, you'll have to wait somewhere else. Official policy is that the only people who know the details of the mission are those fully approved to fly. Sorry bud."

Kasumi nodded.

"Alright then. Angel and Phoenix, let's get to the briefing room."

With that, he and the others took off leaving Chance to wait for the news from above regarding his ability to fly. Once at the briefing room, they sat down to wait for Base Commander. He arrived a few minutes later, and set a folder down in front of Lucky.

"Alright War Angel, listen up. This is Operation Blitz Break, and your target today is our only remaining supply base on the water about eighty miles out to sea via vector 080 east. The rest of our supply bases were bombed during the last mission while we were concerned with breaking Edylla's forward momentum. This supply base must not fall, so you are being sent out as backup for the Royal Dragon Squadron who personally requested your aid. They have good reason to believe that the Crimson Valko will make an appearance, so if he does your orders are to break from the airspace and leave him to Royal Dragon. Any questions?"

Lucky raised his hand.

"Yes Captain?"

"What are looking at as far as enemy forces?"

"Everything you need is in that folder. If there are no further questions, dismissed!" He barked, leaving the room.

Lucky's eyebrow went up.

"He seems a bit high strung today," Lucky said.

"Yeah, no kidding. He's usually a lot more level headed than that," Kasumi added.

"Well, let's take a look shall we?"

Lucky opened the folder and emptied its contents onto the table so all three of them could see it. Four sheets of paper came out of the folder. One was a list of expected enemy aircraft and naval forces, one was a list of allied forces and their positions, one was pictures of the base and its surrounding defenses, and one was a photo of the Crimson Valko's rumored new plane of choice.

"Well, that makes things interesting," Lucky said, holding up the list of allied forces.

"Royal Dragon Squadron in the air, and the 'Invincible Fortress' on the water."

Kasumi's brows furrowed.

"'Invincible Fortress'?" She asked.

Lucky gave her the photo of the base.

"The 'Invincible Fortress' is one of our Battleships. It's never taken so much as a single enemy bullet on the hull, and is over fifty years old. This particular Battleship is also reinforced with a secondary layer in its hull for added protection. It's slower than average, but it's one hell of a vessel for tanking enemy fire."

Kasumi whistled.

"Wow."

"Yep. So, Phoenix. Any questions?" Lucky asked.



As the others were departing for the briefing room, Chance was approached by one of the therapists assistants.

"Excuse me Mr. Williams. Could you please come withe me? We have some news for you which the therapist will deliver in the medical wing," He said.

"Alright." Chance said as he began following the therapist assistant.

I wonder what is going on? He thought to himself curiously. He was also anxious about whether or not he get to fly again. He doesn't like being on the ground doing nothing for a long time.

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"Valid points, Phoenix. At this point, when it's so early in the war, almost anything is possible," Lucky said.

"Given that the Battleship is likely a center of morale among many of the troops, I'd say Phoenix's guess is right on the money. If they take out that ship, our forces will take a serious mental and emotional blow. But the Royal Dragon Squadron is just as much a target if the Crimson Valko turns up. He took down one of them with a training jet in the last battle, and they're flying F-22's. What do you think he could do in a real fighter of equal caliber?"

"I'd rather NOT think about that one Angel. One issue at a time. We need to figure out the best approach, as command hasn't given us a specified target or flight pattern to work with. I'm guessing they want to see how we handle this situation."

Lucky looked to Phoenix.

"Anymore ideas or suggestions?"



The therapist was waiting for Chance in the medical room in which they met before, seated on the edge of one of the beds before standing up upon Chance's entry.

"Mr. Williams, command has approved of my petition. However, I have some more news, and it's not exactly happy news."

He brought out a note card and read from it.

"Henceforth you are on a probationary period, and command has agreed to let you fly with your teammates in Operation Blitz Break tomorrow at 0800. You will be closely monitored via a special camera inside your plane's cockpit during the flight. Be it spoken words or actions taken during flight, a single misstep on your part will result in your license being revoked permanently. Not only will you be discharged from service, but command has promised you that they will make it impossible for you to fly a plane ever again."

He put the note card down, regarding Chance for a moment.

"Command has three conditions for your acceptance of this deal: One, that you remain with your team at all times. Two, that you obey your flight lead's every command. And three, that you not try and take matters into your own hands. If these conditions are acceptable, then prepare yourself for the mission. If you fly like the pilot command needs you to be and not like the pilot you think you need to be, you'll have your license back upon return to base when Operation Blitz Break is over, provided you survive it."

Chance nodded at the therapist.

"I understand, and thank you!" He said enthusiastically.

"I will try my bet for command to see that I have shown change, but my question is what if the captain tells me to split away from the group?" He asked curiously because if he follows his orders then he has to.

He was filled with excitement, and a little bit of anxiety from it. He won't let them down. Not again.

(forget about the bartender tag, my RPG is glitched)

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Lucky considered the two, rather surprised to see Chance walk in so soon but all the more happy to have his number three back in action. If command didn't let him fly, he wouldn't be here. Each pair of eyes in the sky were eyes he could use.

"Fair enough."

He pointed to the grid's west and east lines.

"Edylla will be coming from the east across the sea along what for us is vector 080 degrees. Given that the expected enemy forces consist of approximately four fighter squadrons and three high density bomber squadrons of no fewer than seven bombers each, I think we should make our priority the bombers. Remember that the Royal Dragon Squadron will be spearheading our defense in the air, and they'll make quick work of any fighter squadrons that come our way. Our Battleship will bring some serious anti-air capabilities out in front, giving us time to get behind the bombers and take them out before they reach the base. So long as it remains in one piece by the time the enemy either retreats or is defeated outright, then we've done our job."

He then pointed to the picture of the base, a satellite image from directly overhead showing everything within two miles of the structure.

"The base lies in the middle of the water, and was built over a defunct oil drilling facility. The holes used for the mining of oil were filled and the overall structure turned into a glorified storage unit for our supplies. The biggest danger to this facility doesn't lie from the air, but in fact the sea. Enemy ships and submarines are the greatest threat, as this structure lies out in the middle of the ocean supported only by five giant pillars that extend to the sea floor. If two or more pillars go down, that structure collapses and sends our supply base to the bottom of the ocean."

"So how do we defend that?" Kasumi asked.

"We don't. We stay focused on the air. Along with our 'Invincible Fortress' battleship is Yllior's most famous submarine, the 'Mirage.' Never touched underwater and boasting some of the most advanced anti-sonar metal coating and stealth technologies in existence. If that thing can't protect the pillars for us, then nothing can. One way or the other, our priority in the air are the bombers."

"So what's the plan for them?" Kasumi asked.

"We're going with a slightly modified version of Phoenix's plan. We're being deployed at 0800 hours tomorrow morning, and once we're in the air we're going to fly low beneath radar range and curve southward along vector 140 degrees which will lead us to about here," he said, pointing to the grid map about four miles south of the battle space.

"Once we're in position, we'll head northward along vector 050 degrees northeast, coming in behind the bombers as they approach the airspace. Once we reach the battle zone, we'll ascend to proper altitude and take the bombers out, hopefully before the fighter escorts figure out what we're doing. If we can drop even one full squadron of bombers, the base will breath a sigh of relief. But we have no fewer than three bomber squadrons to deal with, each one being about seven strong. It won't be easy to pull this off, but it's our best bet for doing our part to protect the base."

He looked up, glancing to Chance and Phoenix in turn.

"I don't want to sound negative, but you both need to remember that we're not the heart and soul of the defense effort. Both Chance and Angel hold the least amount of experience in the air by comparison to Phoenix or myself. Phoenix has more flight time than you two, but I hold more flight time than all three of you combined. As a Captain, it's my job to get you back home alive and to prepare you to possibly become flight leads yourselves."

He looked at Chance.

"I like your enthusiasm Chance, but thinking like the way you did is what gets people killed. In a battle of this scale, splitting a squadron of only four pilots up, two of whom are still considered rookies, to take care of individual tasks is suicide. If I gave the order to split up, I doubt any of us would return home alive."

He looked to Phoenix next.

"Doing what nobody expects is not a bad idea when you have the numbers and the equipment to pull it off, but even then such dangerous though creative maneuvers are best done in moderation. I've known the Royal Dragon Squadron for about five years now, and I though they all fly F-22's, I've never heard of them going out of their way to think outside the box. In our case, with only two F-5E's and two F-16's, our Squadron is hardly equipped to be trying to go that extra mile just to play our part in a defense mission. A lead pilot needs to think of the big picture and not just of what's immediately in front of them. Remember that there's an aftermath to think of as well, not just what the best immediate solution to a problem might be."

He looked over at Kasumi.

"Angel, I'm a bit concerned about your lack of participation in throwing out ideas. Though Chance and Phoenix's ideas both carried flaws, at least they gave something to this meeting. A future flight lead needs to be able to think on their feet and come up with ideas and suggestions on the fly, as keeping your mind working and challenging the knowledge of those around you is one of the best ways to learn and grow. If they can't do that, then they're not fit to lead. They're fit to follow. I doubt you have it in mind to just be a number two forever, do you?"

Kasumi slowly averted her eyes.

"I didn't think so. Don't be a permanent follower alright."

She nodded, still not looking at him.

He looked back to the other two.

"Alright then. Tomorrow at 0800 our asses are in our planes and we'll be taxiing to the runway to begin the mission. We're going to fly in a simple horizontal line formation so we're all on an even plane and within eyesight of each other. If your peripherals catch anyone wandering, call it out to them so they can get back on track. Our altitude is going to be very low, and your "pull up" alarm will be going off nearly the entire way until we get to the battle space. It's going to be annoying and distracting, but you have to push through it to reach the battle space safely."

Kasumi nodded.

"Alright then. Go to your quarters and get some rest. We've only got about ten hours until mission time."

With that, he put everything in the folder and walked out, letting everyone leave to find their quarters to rest. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

He looks at the sky then notices Phoenix is moving around. He ran over to her.

"Hey, are you lost?" Chance asked curiously.

He wants to try to get to know the newest member of the team better, and hell maybe she can understand his predicament a little bit better then the rest of the crew.

I walked with her.

"I can understand that coming from the far south, if anything ill walk with ya, just in case you need anything." Chance replies enthusiastically.

Chance stops in his mid track.

"I'm not treating you like a kid, I'm trying to be nice cause you just got bashed by our flight lead just like I have, so tel me what the hell is your problem to treat me as though I'm the bad guy?" Chance replies with the same annoyance and hostilities.

"So what if you're fourth? I honestly think whether it be fourth or first it doesn't mean anything to me. Everyone is equal in my opinion, and hell I was flight lead in my old squadron but I'm third, how do you think I feel? You shouldn't be hostile with someone about what you want. At least you are lucky to be alive, some aren't lucky to get that fate..." Chance said as he showed hostilities and quietness.

"I'm sorry if you think that being fourth is sort of a demotion, and annoyed, but with this war. We got a lot more important things to think about then rank. And, I personally don't want rank to get between anybody, not when it's life or death." Chance said looking straight into her eyes.

Chance follows her.

"You don't think I feel the same?! This war is damnable, and I hate getting insulted on my integrity and skill. Hell, I've been insulted by our higher-ups and our flight lead, because they think I choose to be 'heroic' when really I want revenge on all of those Edylla bastards that annihilated my village and household. I mean you could have clearly seen about our flight lead insulting us both during that meeting. So you really aren't alone, and if anything I never insulted your skill, you're one hell of a flier and you got a good sense of strategy, but the thought about rank and skills should be put aside for now. Even if it annoys the living hell out of you, you just gotta stay calm, and hell you got me as a buddy here that suffers with ya. So don't try to be a loner, that path is never the best.... I know cause I've experienced it and felt it, and you have to be a captain yes, but there's also demotion and the fact the Blue Phoenix Squadron was wiped out with me being sole survivor." He said blocking her path looking at her face at first but then looked on the ground with sadness.

Chance looks at her.

"It's fine... I'm learning to get over that and learn to protect people I care about. I can't really understand how you feel, but if you need a friend. Feel free to come to me..." Chance said to her trying to give out a fake smile and then walked away.

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Kasumi met Lucky outside of his room before he turned in.

"So... That went, well. I suppose," She said.

Lucky nodded.

"Yeah, about as well as it needed to. Both of them have the same problem, but I'm hoping that by throwing other variable accusations at them that they'll eventually come to realize what that shared flaw is."

Kasumi tilted her head.

"And what flaw would that be?"

He looked at her and smiled.

"Arrogance."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't pick that up from them," she replied.

"I know. I could see that much in your responses both verbally and non verbally to what was going on. But I see it clear as day. Both of them have talent, and they know it. One of them was a squadron leader before a demotion and has problems with being honest with himself regarding the source of his determination and his drive to fly. You and I both know and saw just as the therapist did that he has both a revenge and hero complex, though he refuses to admit it or simply because he cannot see it. But the therapist nailed it when he said in the beginning that Chance had it in his mind that he had to be everyone's hero. How else do you explain "I want to protect everyone and take on the strongest enemies?" What other label can you place on that?"

Kasumi let out a breath.

"None," She said.

He nodded.

"The other is a star in her own mind. You saw the look in her eyes. It's obvious that she feels that going from number two in her old squad to number four in ours is akin to a demotion or an insult to her skills. You also heard her say she wasn't a rookie as well didn't you? Well, despite her protest to the fact, she is in fact still a rookie. She's never seen a large scale battle or actually been involved in wartime combat, and has only had a handful of flights under her belt. I read her file, and I know that even though she did well in simulations and in her previous flights, she's still a rookie whether she wants to believe it or not. God save her if she ever gets a flight lead that isn't prepared to deal with that attitude."

"And you are prepared to deal with it?" She asked.

He chuckled.

"Obviously. I wouldn't have accepted her into our squadron if I wasn't prepared to deal with her. Still, I must admit that I'm concerned that either one or both of them will get complacent with their talents in the air and get either themselves or our allies killed. Phoenix especially given how upset she seems to be at being a number four in the line up now. I have a feeling that before long she will think she doesn't have to accept orders from me because of her confidence in her own skills and judgement in the air. If it comes to that, then I'll have no choice but to recommend to command that they permanently ground her like they almost did to Chance. Such an attitude is dangerous not just for her, but for everyone else around her. If she doesn't feel she's answerable to anyone simply because she knows she's a decent pilot, then she has no business flying."

Kasumi whistled.

"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"Not at all. A pilot that's out for themselves and who refuses to acknowledge the chain of command properly for any reason is like a loaded gun in the hands of a child. It has no business being there."

Kasumi nodded.

"In case you haven't noticed or bothered speaking to the other Captains in the remaining squadrons we have, Chance is the only pilot in the entire Ylliorian Air Force who's disobeyed orders and done his own thing since this war began, and Phoenix is the only one who thinks more highly of her skills than is warranted by her record. I have valid reasons to be concerned about them, and I can only hope that they both mellow out for the right reasons and don't have to do so through further tragedy. I know it's kind of morbid to say so, but I have a feeling that one of them, likely Phoenix, will be the death of me."

Kasumi sighed.

"Get some sleep Doug. We've got a big mission tomorrow and we don't need you thinking like that."

He chuckled.

"You too Angel."

Kasumi left and went to her room, falling asleep almost immediately. Lucky took a bit longer to fall asleep, but he too drifted off before long.





Lucky was wide awake and sitting in his cockpit when Angel walked into the Hangar. She was quiet, but obviously wide awake and ready to fly. She hopped in her plane as they waited for the others to arrive, kicking up their engines when the clock struck 0758.

"You ready for this Angel?" He asked.

"Always," she responded.