Futuristic This Fractured Sky of Ours

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

0842 hours
Over the France-Luxembourg Border​

"I'm hit! Mayday, mayday I'm goin-" The panicked radio chatter cut out as the flaming Jetstream disintegrated in midair. Adrian bit back a curse as he pushed his Boreas' throttle to the max as he chased after a Pancake light fighter. The saucer shaped plane tried to break off but a short burst from his Boreas' guns tore it apart. The roar of the plane engines didn't help in muffling the cries of as his squadron were overwhelmed by the surprising number of planes.

"Why are there so many?!"
"Lynx, you got two on your six!"
"Oh god... Ardent's dead! My gunner is de-ARGH!"
"Wulf, orders?! Can you hear me?! Gah, fuck off!"

"There's too many.... All planes, rtb at onc-!"
"Atlas spotted! Wulf, its the White Wi-GRAH!"

"Oxide!" Adrian cried out as the Tempest plummeted to the ground. He managed to catch a glimpse of the Atlas fighter with the dreaded white wing. It was him. It has to be.

"All planes fall back, the White Wing is mine!" Adrian roared as he pushed his plane to the limit. A mad cat and mouse game he was losing as the White Wing easily shot down another one of his squadron's planes. Luckily, that last kill slowed the White Wing down enough for Adrian to catch up and line up the target into his gunsights.

"Almost.... There!" He pulled the trigger and his plane's guns roared to life, the burst almost striking true before stopping. He ran out of ammo.

"Dammit..." Adrian cursed as he pulled away. He closed his eyes and waited for the White Wing to finally end this 6 year game.

"Not so fast you bastard!"
"Mishka?!" Adrian glanced back and spotted the Tempest keeping the White Wing busy. He immediately tried to turn back but was stopped by a transmission.

"Don't you dare, Adrian! Get outta here, you're too valuable to die now!"
"Don't try to stop me, Julia!"
"Yeah with what? Your dry guns? Get outta here and leave him to me!"
"No! I'm not gonna lose you again!"
"Shut up and go! If what you say is true then I'll see you again! Tsk..... Damn, I'm going down..."
"Julia?!"
"Just go! .... Listen, I lo-"

1 Month Later, 0800
Valais Air Base, Northern Germany​

"Yes. Understood, Sir. Good day." Adrian hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. He was finally getting his new pilots today after that 3 hour long debate with Central Command last week. Some new fresh faces would replace the old ones.

"Right... Some fresh air would be nice..." Adrian sighed as he got up from his office chair and pushed the windows open. He extracted the half full pack of cigarettes from his coat's breast pocket and pulled out a fresh stick. As he lit up the cigarette and took a puff, he spied the barely noticable spots over the horizon.

The new pilots are finally arriving.

Nogoodname Sludge Fishman Lord Berries Panzer

 

[Berries]

0800 Hours | Valais Air Base
Jin Rai & Alli May​

"10034... 10035... 10036..." Jin was counting. He had been for awhile. It had started around the third hour of the flight, when he had begun counting clouds after exhausting all manner of conversation topic, but now it seemed he was counting the seconds that passed instead. The sound of his monotone voice rung out with each soft tick of the plane's dashboard clock.

Meanwhile, Alli had long since dozed off. The small girl had her head leaned against the back of her seat, head bobbing on occasion with the movements of the aircraft. Jin had taken over the ship's controls awhile ago and he was far from fatigued. At the beginning of the trip Alli had seemed to be in high spirits too, but that had steadily decreased as time had passed. It seemed that they both were somewhat nervous about their new assignment and that had been causing a damper on their conversation.

Generally the two pilots were on pretty good terms. They knew each other well, and seeing that Jin liked to keep to himself, Alli had proved to be dependable enough to rely on in combat. That was saying quite a lot, and their synergy was strong. The two could read the other's emotions and actions in a heartbeat which had both its ups and downs.

Steering mundanely into the distance, Jin's counting paused for a moment as he caught sight of the airbase which was their destination. "10187... Alli wake up... 10189..." his monotone voice did very little to wake the girl behind him up but somewhere in the back of her mind she seemed to process the words and she snapped awake.

"Jin, the airbase!" She exclaimed, going from 0 to 100 in the span of half a second. Seeming and talking like she had never been asleep in the first place, she bobbed a bit in her seat and immediately took over her half of the control set. Rolling his eyes, Jin nodded complacently.

"It's been in sight for awhile now," it was a small lie, but she wouldn't know any better, "10206... we'll be landing in approximately four hundred seventy seconds." He managed to count and calculate their landing time in one go before sinking back in his chair to begin landing procedures.

The duo landed at Jin's count of 10676 seconds which had fit his time suggestion exactly. Upon arrival on the landing stretch, however, the pair weren't altogether sure what to do. They had seemed to have arrived with a bunch of other planes, presumably all new arrivals, but it didn't seem immediately like there was anybody to guide them. There seemed to be an office nearby, perhaps that was where they were supposed to report to?

 

[Nogoodname]

Erica Williams | 0800 Hours | Valais Air base

​

Erica grinned broadly as her brand new tempest cut through the clouds like a hot knife through butter. The thing flew like a dream! Tight controls and incredible maneuverability gave her so much control over the sky, it almost felt like cheating! The redhead let out a small chuckle as she cut and weaved through the clouds, testing the thing's movements. Erica was already coming to love the thing, it almost felt like she was made for it. And that wasn't too far from the truth now was it? Years of diligent training, the stress she had put herself through, it was all about to pay off now that she had a chance to show off her skills in the field. Erica wanted to be the best of the best, and to that end nobody was going to stand in her way.

Her grin only widened as she caught a glimpse of the airbase ahead of her, almost there she thought to herself as she slowly began to descend and land. Erica was among the first to arrive thanks to the speed of her fighter, she gently touched down against the landing strip, slowly making her way into the hanger before stepping out of her plane. The girl glanced around for a moment, wondering just where she was supposed to go as more planes filed in with hers presumably new pilots such as herself. Only one way to find out the redhead thought to herself before making her way up to a friendly enough looking pair of pilots with a cheery grin "Heya! Good to meetcha, I'm guessing you're recruits here as well right? The name's Erica" she said, extending a rather warm welcome to the people she would potentially be working with in the future. "You wouldn't happen to know where we're supposed to go, would you?"

Berries

 

[Fishman Lord]

Mark Stapledon, Valais Air Base
Mark pushed the Seventh Man through the air, looking over the landscape of Northern Germany. He was flying dangerously low, at least for any other pilot. He didn't care, he wouldn't be threatened by any enemies this close to the airbase, at least not yet. It was definitely worth the view, farms stretching between patches of dark forest, rivers twisting here and there. Mark felt like he'd been here before, but that was almost certainly a lie. Even if there was some memory in there, it probably wasn't his, just some bullshit inserted by some scientist.

The airfield eventually came into sight, and Mark flipped on his radio. "This is Starmaker, requesting permission to land. I repeat, this is Starmaker requesting landing permission for Valais Air Base." He receieved a quick response and he led the Seventh Man gently down on the runway. The plane puttered away as the propellor slowed down and the engines started to let up. After a good landing, Mark stayed in his plane for a few minutes. He wasn't sure if he was ready for all this.

Mark eventually jumped out of his plane and made his way through the hangar, looking around. There were some other people here, mechanics and such, a couple other planes and what were most likely their pilots, and maybe an officer or other higher-up. Jesus fucking Christ these people were too young for war. Some of them looked 15, maybe younger. He'd heard rumors of pilots 12 and younger in other areas, but that could be bullshit. Then again, Mark's physical age was only 16, and his "age" of how long he could remember was only slightly less than a year. Still, they could at least bring these people to full maturity before tossing them in flying buckets of screws and rust and making them kill people.

Mark leaned against one side of the hangar and looked at the planes. Why they were flying these things, these old scrap-heaps that would have blended in well in 1941, he'd never really know. Some treaty about "everybody has to be a caveman ooga booga", something like that. He'd gotten his hands on some old sci-fi books and even some science textbooks, and he knew there was more possibility than this. They could be sailing the stars, but instead here they were, glorified WWII reenactors. Mark grabbed a cigarette and lit it up. Well, he was a damn good reenactor at least.

 

[Sludge]

0800 Hours
Valais Air Base
Mitch Mazurski
---
The tires screeched against the concrete as a small fighter glided across the highway to a stop. Once the machine's engine calmed down, a mechanic quietly ran up to it from a side. Two dull knocks on the windshield and the canopy slid backwards. The pilot climbed out to hear the mechanic's mundane voice.

"Keys please."

The pilot briefly looked at the worker's thin middle aged face then at his youthful Tempest.

"Oh. Those stuck up morons just wouldn't quit it..." - the pilot let out a muffled groan through the mask of his helmet. The mechanic stepped away when the pilot clenched his fists, but to his surprise the young man quickly unfastened a compartment on his jacket and threw him a small metal rod.

"I was talking about the higher ups, not you. Wimp." He lightly tapped onto the worker's shoulder before marching away from the hangars.




Loud knock on the door of the office, before any kind of response could be made, a tall pilot marched in and stopped, clicking the heels of his boots together. He took off his helmet revealing a sturdy face. Eyebrows tightly knit together, his glare a perfect stamp of military tradition. Too bad that a lip curled upwards gave it all away.

"Mitch Mazurski reporting for duty."

 

[Panzer]

"You' think they'll accept me?" The soft voice echoed through the hum of movement on the airfield. A small and sickly looking teen- probably not over the age of 15- looked over a greyish and run-down plane. The plane had scratches, holes, and decaying paint on its side that showed it's battle scars in their entirety. However, the pilot that stood beside it seemed to have the same situation, only separated by their appearance of shape. The teen didn't look battle-scarred. His pale skin was tight on his bones, and a look of malnurishment plagued his body. He shook and twitched intermittenly as if he was shaken. His eyes were an inhumanely shade between red and green as if it was mixed forcefully in his eyes. large pockets or red "blush" hung around his eyes. To put it simply; the kid looked as if he were frankenstien's monster.

He lay on the Mistral's wing with his hands behind his head and a warm smile on his face, wondering what his new comrades would be. He glanced back to the cockpit of the Mistral as if the Mistral had been watching him. His eyes landed on a peculiar sight. a small piece of paper sat just beside the bullet hole in the glass windshield. He turned himself on his stomache and crawled to it, picking it up as he stood from the mistral's wing. It was a small photo of himself and his family - whilst the bullet had struck through the face of his father and his mother was presumably burnt off the picture.

"Awwww...that's nice." He said, holding it in his sight as his hand felt around his pockets. He brought another picture from his pocket and held it next to the damaged picture for a closer look.
"Looks just like me!" He felt his heart melt at the warming joy.

"They must've made two- Although, it seems to have been through Hell and back."
Just out of sight, the seat which the last pilot sat was nothing more than a leather seat, stained with dried blood and two small holes in the head section.

The boy pocketed the small photo and slid himself off of the wing. After the Mistral "Gave" him a heartwarming picture, he felt that he had worked up enough courage to face his new comrades.
Although, the thought urked him. He felt fear grip at his feet. He stopped close to the hangar door, turning back to the Mistral who watched cheerfully. His face did not hold a smile, but a concerned face that looked on to the Mistral. The silent Mistral spoke words to him that no one else could hear...

He nodded back to the Mistral, puffing his cheeks slightly and turning his concern inti determination. He inhaled, and pushed himself out the door. He pushed his pilot cap forward and he kept his head down, nit wanting to draw attention to his "hidious complection" -or so he claims- during his walk. He did not enjoy the feeling of watchful eyes, but he could not turn around now.

But, as soon as he left, he realized something that sent more uneasy feelings to his chest. He had forgotten where he was meeting them. He knew it was somewhere on this airfield, but that was about the most he could remember. For now, he would wander the small base in search of his comrades. Hopefully he should find him before his fear finds him first. Hopefully...

 

[Berries]

0800 Hours | Valais Air Base
Jin Rai & Alli May​

Jin had just spotted one of the apparent new pilots head into the office and was about to say something to Alli when a new voice interrupted their conversation. Glancing over to find himself confronted with a red-headed female introducing herself as Erica, Jin lifted his left hand in a small wave. Meanwhile, Alli was taking care of their introductions like he knew she would.

"Glad to meet you!" Alli exclaimed, taking the outstretched hand warmly and giving it a hearty shake. The small girl's long hair bounced on the back of her head excitedly; the ends of her ears red from her picking at them in nervousness but that anxiety seemed to have been entirely forgotten by now. "I'm Alli, and this is my partner Jin." She replied to the other girl's question, nodding to her partner as she introduced him. "Unfortunately we don't know much about where we're going-" her train of thought was interrupted as Jin tapped her shoulder to stop her.

"I just saw a pilot head into the office. I'd say it's likely we're supposed to report in there." Jin supplied, his voice still rather monotone but helpful at least. Alli gave her counterpart a thumbs-up sign.

"Great, let's get this thing parked then." She said with an approving nod. "Erica, want to head over to that hangar with us? We can walk to the office from there." The small girl offered with her characteristic bright grin. However, Alli didn't wait for Erica to respond before helping Jin start back up their engine and taxing towards a nearby hangar. There was already one plane parked there, with a boy leaning nearby lighting up a cigarette. Even before the sundowner had come to a stop, Alli had unbuckled and jumped out of the aircraft, moving towards the smoker.

"Hey! You one of us new pilots?" She asked brightly, glancing over her shoulder at Jin who was making sure their plane was parked before hopping out of the vehicle and walking over himself. "I'm Alli and this is my partner Jin, we're about to head to the office with Erica." Alli said, pointing at the other female pilot. "Want to come with us?"

Nogoodname Fishman Lord

 

[Panzer]

"Hey! You one of us new Pilots?"
He heard a shout spark from behind him, drawing the Kid's attention away from the silent dirt road. He froze where he stood. He felt a strange tingly sensation in his stomach, a feeling of nervousness or fear that rattled his thoughts.

After a moment passed, he glanced behind him. His eyes darted around the area. There, two other pilots stood tall and confident. He squinted at their faces, hoping to confirm that their sights were on him. Sadly, they didn't even seem to notice him. While the feeling in his gut vanished, he felt the aftermath of the excitement that had been disappointed. A sinking, almost saddening feeling, sank to his chest. He turned himself to peer at the person to whom they were speaking to. He scanned the person; a pilot who leaned against the wall of the hangar and smoked a cigar like an old action hero. He looked akin to the tough "mysterious figure" of a detective movie: seemingly awaiting a narrator to tell the audience his story. He chuckled at the thought, dropping his saddness for a little of self-entertainment. He sank into his thoughts as he stood, watching the group with blank eyes.

 

[Fishman Lord]

Mark Stapledon, Valais Air Base
A rather eager and excited pilot approached Mark. He let the cigarette hang in his mouth as she introduced herself cheerfully. Awful upbeat for a killer. These people were too young, himself included. "Pleasure to meet ya. The name's Mark Stapledon, callsign Starmaker." The girl, Alli, introduced a boy as well, one Jin. Looked maybe a bit older than Mark himself, bit less cheerful than the girl. Mark didn't smile, but his tone was friendly, and he made sure that despite his neutral face he was friendly.

Behind the pair was a pretty redhead. Mark might have had a crush if it weren't for the fact that one of them would likely be dead within a month or two and so any relations tended to be bad. Besides, his last crush had ended with him nearly unconscious and bloody in a corner, and he wasn't keen to repeat that.

Turning back to the two pilots in front of him, he considered their proposal. "Well, I'm not keen on just waiting here until we starve, so I'll head in. See if the higher-ups want us." With that, Mark strode towards the door and into the complex that coordinated the war in this area. From there he made his way to the office of whatever higher-up needed them.
Berries Nogoodname Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Nogoodname]

Erica smiled at the introduction, though she mostly kept her focus on the more friendly on the two, leaving Jin to his own devices. "Yeah, sounds like a plan" she said, making her way over towards the hanger with the great Sundowner at her back. The redhead stretched out her limbs, the long hours of flying having taken their toll on her over the long journey. The group of them reached the hanger in a matter of moments, the sundowner passing her up somewhere along the way. Erica made her way up to the now disembarked due as they met up with another recruit, giving a lackadaisical and a warm, friendly smile. "Nice to meetcha mark" she said enthusiastically. So far things were going pretty well, the other recruits were friendly enough, the girl Alli drawing the most of her interest, she seemed like a good friend, though the boy she hung around wasn't exactly the most talkative, she wondered what exactly their relationship was. Good friends? Lovers? Siblings? it was anyone's guess really.

These thoughts crossed Erica's mind in the time the group of them spent walking to the Office "So.. what do you think they're gonna have us do first?" she asked curiously, not exactly sure what procedure was from here. She was anxious to get right to it if she was honest, almost a little too anxious. Erica was eager to prove herself that's just how she had always been, competitive in nearly every aspect of her life, always striving to be the top, that's what drove her.

Fishman Lord Berries

 

[Berries]

Valais Air Base | Jin Rai & Alli May

Alli grinned cheerfully at Mark as he introduced himself, blinking in over-exaggerated surprise as he added his callsign in as well. "Oh, that's right! Callsigns will be helpful to know once we get into battle." She said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head in irritation that she had forgotten. "I'm Dango, Jin's Rango," she said before glancing curiously at Erica, "and what about you Erica?" Alli questioned, determined to commit all their names to memory so that she could recall them quickly during battle. As far as she was concerned, teamwork and cooperation was imperative to winning any fight, so she took her comrades seriously.

Jin, on the other hand... He didn't pay much attention to the other pilots and aside from a few waves whenever he was introduced he had remained behind Alli and quiet. He did nod, however, when Mark purposefully strode his way to the office; a business-like attitude was what he valued most. Alli had been quick to trot off after Mark after ensuring that Erica had caught up; her small legs working to keep up with the bigger kids. Contemplating the other girl's question, Alli's eyebrows furrowed a little bit. "I'm not sure, exactly." The girl admitted. "This is going to be pretty much my first assignment, I'm not sure what to expect either. Jin's been in more battles than me, though. Maybe he knows." She said with a smile, turning around to look at her partner. "Jin, what are we going to be doing do you know?"

As Alli scampered behind Mark and Erica, Jin had elected to fall to the back and keep an eye on the three. At his partner's question, he hesitated for a moment in thought. In the end, he just shrugged and raised his voice to reach the group in front. "It depends every time, I think." He supplied, not very helpfully.

As he walked he began to count the planes on the airbase when his eyes settled on a boy nearby. It seemed like he was apprehensive about something and frozen in place, probably indicating that he was new. Tilting his head slightly in curiosity, Jin called out to him. "Are you a new pilot? Come with us to the office." He told the other boy, pointing at the small group they had assembled to elaborate on who "us" was.

Either way, they had reached the office and Alli slipped inside. Following his partner in, Jin noted that the man he had spotted before was already inside and standing at attention. Eyes settling on a man who he assumed to be their commander, Jin raised his hand in a salute.

"Jin Rai, reporting for duty."

And, shortly after,

"Alli May, reporting for duty sir!"

Nogoodname Panzer Fishman Lord Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Panzer]

The boy blinked in confusion at the other pilot's order. Not only had the pilot look over his appearance, - although he had attempted to cover himself with a small scarf, pilot's goggles, and an old pilot's cap- But he had answered a question that he had held -and forgotten about. His memory finally caught his original objective: Finding the Office.

As the pilot averted his attention, June turned his back and rested his palm against his face. He tried to recollect himself under the pressure of his own conscience, his anger rising as fast as his embarrassment. He just needed to keep it together. He just needed to meet the commander, piece of cake- right?
His nerves were not pleased with his attempts to calm himself and did not soften their grip on his body. He began to shake, adding onto the twitch that haunted him. This didn't stop him though. He followed the other pilots from a safe distance.
"Just introduce yourself...Easy. It's all gonna be alright. Just ONE time, then you don't even have to face them again."
He spoke softly to himself, lying in hopes to keep himself calm.

Before he knew it he had arrived at the office, twitching, shaking, and whispering to himself as he stepped in a dazed and confused fashion.
And he had yet to realize it.
Wandering Grim Hollow Nogoodname
Fishman Lord Berries

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

0822 Hours
Valais Air Base, Commander's Office​

"Only one of you found the office... What a pain." Adrian sighed as he stubbed out his cigarette into an ashtray. Tearing his gaze from the window, he glanced at the pilot and recalled the profile he read earlier in the morning. Mitch Marzuki, Tempest pilot. Yet another headache by his attitude but looks can be deceiving after all. There is a person just like him passing time in the lounge right now. But that's beside the point, this pilot is now going to be under his command. And he knew that with no job so far, there was bound to be- Oh look, more people.

"Ah. Finally, the rest have come. I guess that makes it easier. Welcome to Valais Air Base, your new home and base of operations. I am Commander Adrian Cuth, your commanding officer. As some of you may tell... I'm just like you lot. A pilot for Terminal Aeronautics. If possible, I'd like to keep the formalities to a minimum unless we're on the job or you somehow managed to tick me off." Adrian explained as his eyes scanned from one pilot to the next. He recognized all of them by their profiles. Erica, Tempest pilot. Jin and Alli, Sundowner pilot and gunner, just what he needed, another dive bomber. Mark, a Mistral pilot and an almost familiar face. Lastly.... Of course, the infamous genetic mish-mash that is June. Good God, the poor kid can barely stand straight and he looks like a wreck.

"As for now... You are all on standby. You can do whatever you want in the base lounge. Everyone except you, June. I am ordering you to take the day off until I can figure out what to do with you. That is all, dismissed."

Panzer Nogoodname Fishman Lord Berries

 

[Nogoodname]

Erica was one of the last to enter the office as she chatted with Alli casually letting the girl know her own callsign, Joker, before smiling as she caught sight of their commander. She gave a curt nod and spoke up "Erica Williams, reporting for duty". The pilot stood quietly as she listened to their commander address the group of them, watching him curiously. Though the redhead didn't say it to Adrian's face, she definitely expected someone... older, this younger face came as a bit of an oddity to her. Erica was quick to shake the thought away, getting a good understanding of their position with the commander, definitely not one of the social types it seemed.. she made a mental note to leave him be.

The pilot was visibly disappointed, having expected a little more action on their first day here, but she figured they definitely had time to get into the meat of things in the future. As the group of them were dismissed she turned over to her friends Alli and Jin, giving the two of them a warm smile "guess we're free for the day, got any plans?" she asked curiously, adamant to make a few friends around here while she had the time.
Berries

 

[Panzer]

June's mind was elsewhere for most of the Commander's speech. It wasn't until he heard his name that he snapped back to reality. To his surprise, the "greetings" that had taken place were hurriedly skipped over or avoided all-together. He calmed himself quickly as he heard the rest of his orders: he was to take the day off, whilst the others shall be on stand by.

Whilst the meeting had gone better than expected, a question lingered in his mind: what did he mean by "-figuring out what to do with you"? Should he be concerned about this? Was he in trouble? He cant remember what he had done to warrant such things, but he may be wrong.
He pondered his options for a moment, wondering if he should ask the commander about his last remark, or any one for that matter.

He was never any good with asking questions. ever since middle, he'd be as quiet as a mouse. The last time he asked a question ended with him being laughed at for not understanding a "simple" question.

Other times resulted in atleast one of his peers becoming agitated and annoyed.
One thing was certain; he shouldn't ask them. He did not want to end up being the laughing stock of the group, like his trainee years. And nor did he wish to becone an annoyance.

June retook a grip on his actions and pushed the question to the back of his mind.Without a word, He started for the door in haste.He turned back to the others as he leaned against the door.
"Yes sir- I'll be at - in-" he paused, catching himself from stumbling over his own words.
"I'll be in the Hangar." He looked to the door,
but immediately turned back to face them.
"- one of the hangars... The one with my buddy -the Mistral- to be precise." He corrected quickly, before disappearing out the door.
Wandering Grim Hollow Nogoodname Berries Fishman Lord

 

[Panzer]

June continued on his lonely walk, recalling the events that had occurred. He sank deeper into his thoughts with each step that he took, his eyes drifting idly in their sockets. He still had that ONE question on his mind:
What did he mean by that?
He couldn't escape the question.
He couldn't push it out of his mind. It constantly lingered in the back of his thoughts. Was this something that he should be concerned over?
Was it the way he acted? or-
He blinked back into reality as a familiar warm liquid began to drip from his nose. He hastily wiped his nose with his sleeve, continuing his pace down the dirt walkway. A sudden red stain on his sleeve caught his attention. Soon after, his steps started to stagger and his eyes could barely focus, as the world seemed to dip and shake.

Whilst a small part of him told him to stop, he knew he couldn't be dissuaded by such a common event. It was normal for June to experience these things, it was like a side effect of a drug or a simple allergy for him. Usually, he was told to visit the medical bay - or was carried depending on the distance or his dizziness- and receive medication, but he didn't need it.
At least...
he told himself that he didn't.
Those things tasted awful, and it didn't seem worth the effort of walking All-the-way over there and all-the-way-back over here.
He just needed to get to his Hangar and take a nap...Right?

-
-
-
-
-
-

June staggered and shook down the path. Blood had covered most of the area around his mouth and cheek, a ring of blood had stained the pilot's jacket, and a noticeably large stain darkened his sleeve. He had the look of fright and death across his face. He shook and shuddered as he felt colder...and colder...

It was time to stop.
He fell to his knees and hunched over, gently setting himself onto his side.
He strained himself to stay awake, but could not keep himself awake for very long. He passed out, lying in the dirt walkway - feet from the hangar that he had tried to reach.
(I dunno who to mention.)

 

[Fishman Lord]

Mark Stapledon, Valais Airbase
Mark saluted the officer and then went to the lounge with the others. He had to admit it, he already had a crush on Erica. She was pretty, seemed to be nice so far, and her smile had nearly sent him into that socially awkward downward spiral he went into when his charm failed him. He debated in his head whether to do anything. On the one hand, it was till likely one of them would be dead in a month. On the other hand, wouldn't that mean he should do what he could with his time? The second option won and he prepared to talk to her.

He approached her, nervous. He sat down on a sofa and mustered his most charming smile. She didn't seem like the type who would beat him to a pulp for trying to talk to her, but he was still nervous after... last time. "So, you're Erica. Nice to meet ya, the name's Mark Stapledon." He thought he'd pulled at least that off. "So, where were ya before they sent you to this little place?"
Nogoodname

 

[Sludge]

Extract from the personal profile of Mitch Mazurski, K-04/61-T.

[...] It is highly advised against allowing Mitch Mazurski the use of military vehicles outside of the supervision of a commanding officer. The use of any aircraft designated to him should be restricted solely to the scope of issued missions.

As to ensure this, this soldier should be instructed to hand over any aircraft keys in possesion to a person in charge of maintaining the aircraft. The vehicle should therefore be unlocked solely for the duration of a sortie.

In case these procuderes are not followed through and the aircraft is misused by Mitch Mazurski, the commanding officer shall take the responsibility for any damage or casualities that may follow. Refer to the Cossak Sabotage incident and the escape of XX deserters. See attachment [Events preceding the fall of the base Cossak] [...]

0822 hours
Valais Air Base, Commander's Office

Every time someone entered, Mitch half turned his head as he looked behind at the doorway, measuring them top to bottom. As Mitch met the eyes of one of the teammates, he gave Jin a light nod before turning back.

The commander's welcome was... a little uninspiring but straight to the point, all bullshit cut. Mitch liked that. The man himself looked younger than most of them, but talked like an old man.

They have been dismissed, but Mitch stood unmoving like a slab of concrete, his left arm half bent behind his back, his right holding a helmet. He was glaring a hole through the commander's skull, clearly wanting to express something.

Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

0823 hours
Base Lounge, Valais Air Base​

Gentle piano music can be heard from the back of the lounge. There was a girl with a cigarette behind her ear playing it. Her eyes were closed and she had a serene expression on her face as her fingers gracefully danced across the keys. It was going well until a key got stuck. That's when her demeanour changed.

"Goddamn this pile of junk! Third time today!" She growled, getting up and giving it a swift kick. The piano frame creaked slightly and the key became unstuck. Upon hearing some idle chatter behind her, she spotted the new faces and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Great... New pilots... Hey." She groaned as she plucked the cigarette and lit it. Puffing out a stream of smoke, she held the cigarette between her fingers.

"So? Not gonna bother introducing yourselves?"

Fishman Lord Nogoodname

0824
Valais Air Base, Runway​

The La Nina medium bomber barely skidded to a halt when the side door popped open and one of its crew came running. They were shortly followed by another as the plane came to a full stop and in no time at all, the pair were by June's side.

"Kath, call the medics! Geez... First time here and he's already a mess..." The pilot simply sighed and undid his scarf to use as a makeshift rag. June was in capable hands.

Panzer

0822
Valais Air Base, Commander's Office​

"..... Is there a problem, Marzuki? Your stare is rather unwelcome." Adrian cooly stated as he lit up a fresh cigarette. He watched the wisps of smoke curl up in the air and showed no interest in facing Mitch. If anything, he found Mitch to be as threatening as an annoying fly that won't go away. How apt given the situation. His patience starting to strain, Adrian decided to offer an ultimatum.

"Seeing as you don't want to leave.... I'll humor whatever questions or inquires you may have. You have 5 minutes."

Sludge

 

[Berries]

Listening to Adrian speak, Jin and Alli seemed pretty content. Neither of them liked to wait around for long spiels so his to-the-point, short briefing served them well. However, at the same time, Alli seemed kind of disappointed that they didn't have any tasks assigned to them right away. She loved to socialize, that was true, but she also liked to have a sense of purpose. On the other hand, Jin didn't seem to mind. Perhaps it was the fact that he was a bit more experienced than his partner but he liked to stay out of the battlefield as much as possible - as much as he liked to fly, he preferred to stay out of the death games unless necessary.

Once they were dismissed, Alli happily took up Erica's question. "No plans that I know of!" She chirped, making her way to the base lounge. "I guess we've got some bonding time." The girl continued, before her words tapered off when Mark walked over and started a conversation. He had obviously singled out Erica, so Alli took the hint and didn't say anything more as she wanted for the redhead girl to respond. Instead, she focused more on the piano-playing smoker that they had just encountered and who had rather crudely asked them to introduce themselves.

"Yep, we're new pilots!" Alli said enthusiastically in response, migrating over to where the girl was with her abused piano. "I'm Alli, gunner of the sundowner." She introduced herself, looking around for Jin. "My partner Jin-" she began on impulse before realizing she had left him behind in the office. "Well, the pilot of my bomber is named Jin. Hopefully you'll get to meet him later." Alli said with a smile. "And what about you? How long have you been here?"

Wandering Grim Hollow Nogoodname

Meanwhile, Jin had remained in the office. The boy who had been there when he had first entered had remained there, looking like he had something to say. Adrian, their commander, didn't seem to take it well and offered the boy five minutes to ask any questions he liked. Jin himself had nothing in particular to ask but he had taken an interest in the other boy since he seemed to be somewhat put-together so he lingered, eyes tracing Alli as his partner departed with Mark and Erica. Socialization was much more of her thing than his, so he was content to stick around in the office for a little while longer.

Sludge Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Nogoodname]

Erica shrugged her shoulders and gave a simple nod "Ah, I getcha, I was thinking..." her train of thought was cut off though as she was approached by another teammate. The redhead turned on her heels to face the boy, giving a friendly grin "Ohey! Good to meetcha" she said, giving him a quick look over. She was excited to meet the people she'd be flying with, and Mark was no exception. The girl plopped down onto the couch with him and leaned back against the cushions, glancing over at him. "Oh? Where I'm from? Nowhere special really, I'm fresh out of training to be honest" she admitted, reaching up to scratch the back of her head with a small chuckle. She had to admit she felt a little embarrassed being here with so little experience, much less than most it seemed, though she was still determined to leave her mark on this place!

"Either way, the name's Erica, or, I guess you could call me Joker, whichever works" she said casually, thrusting out a hand towards the boy. "Hopefully things go well around here, most of the other pilots seem pretty cool!"
Fishman Lord

 

[Sludge]

0822 hours
Valais Air Base, Commander's Office
Mitch Mazurski

"Your orders regarding the control key of my Tempest." Mitch said firmly as soon as his commander finished, "I ask you to reconsider."

He breathed in as he collected his thoughts. Keep it cool. You will convince them this time. Keep it cool.

"The years of service should clearly show my dedication to the corporation. This should be enough to~" He paused and glanced at Jin who had chosen to stay in the room. "...This should be enough to redeem myself for any mistakes I have made in the past."

Wandering Grim Hollow Berries

 

[Panzer]

June's appearance could be described as "Horrific", looking akin to a poor soul who would soon die to a super virus of some kind. His skin was pale(-er than it usually is, meaning that it is below even "unhealthy" levels.) and dead. His eyes looked no better. Despite sharing an appearance of a corpse-both awake and sick- he still shared
his shaky movements, which spread through his limbs even as he lay unconscious on the floor.

His vision was blurred, but he soon regained his grip on conciousness. He squinted and took back his breath. Atleast he tried, only to find a strange cloth covering his nose. He lifted his head , but dropped it back to rest on his arm. His heart was pounding to an almost painful and cold degree.

He strained to look up at the shadow above, seeing an unfamiliar face holding up the cloth. Whilst he should have his mind on different things, a small piece of him felt a pang of regret and a tiny spark of embarrassment for having to cause such a panic. He gave a feeble smile through his blood soaked mouth as he spoke softly.
"So...how are you?" June tried to play down this incident with small talk. It was a comedically dumb idea, but that seemed to be the only thing that he could do, as he was to fatigued to even think, let alone strategize a conversation. All he could do was hope that it couldn't get even more awkward.
Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Fishman Lord]

Mark Stapledon, Valais Air Base
"Yes, they seem like capable pilots at the very least. That June, though... I'm not even sure how he passed all the emotional exams and requirements required to be a pilot. I'm worried about some of the people that are being sent into combat these days..." Mark sighed sadly. Suddenly, another girl approached the two. "Ah, sorry. My name's Mark, and this here is Erica." He kept his charming smile on and noticed she was smoking. He pulled out his own cigarette. "Could I get a light? Man, I hope we get some action soon."
Nogoodname Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Nogoodname]

The redhead glanced up to the other girl and gave a quick nod of acknowledgement "Yo" she said, giving a little half wave from her relaxed position on the couch. She gave a small shake of her head "ehhh... yeah... he seems a bit off to me too, I dunno what we're really supposed to do about it though" she admitted. While it felt wrong to talk about someone like that in such a negative light, up in the skies you needed to rely on your teammates, a kid like him seemed like a detriment, to himself and the rest of the pilots...

She gave Mark a playful nudge with her elbow "Mind if I bum one of those off of ya?" she asked, giving a small grin "I'll owe ya" she continued with a light giggle. The redhead had completely forgotten to buy a pack of her own before heading out, and hoped that she could rely on the kindness of a teammate.
Fishman Lord