Saul
Inactive Member
Launch Bay
Marco had found himself passing time, as he often did when he had the excuse, around his plane. In fact the ground crew had already half-heartedly sent an informal complaint to his CO that it was kind of pointless to have both a ground crew separate from the pilot if he was going to be spending all his free time with them elbows-deep in - whatever needed working on for his bird.
Of course he liked to think that the occasional smile and the one time he was actually invited to get a drink (though a flight to get stick time meant he couldn't) were signs that he was earning the respect of the men and women who were going to keep his fighter ready to run when he brought it back. After all, the FNG had to make sure his ground crew respected him, or otherwise neither group would be very effective at the job.
So during the briefing? He was, unsurprisingly, crouched over an open panel helping a member of the ground crew pull a safety-check on the IFF beacon and sensor package. His EWO, Santo Hei Kiyofomi Kudou, had been closer physically to the actual briefing, and while Marco split his attention between the job he was performing and the briefing he knew that his EWO was taking in every little thing about the briefing like a sponge.
When the time came and Marco was throwing on his helmet all he needed to do was do a quick verbal run-through with his more bookish partner to make sure they both understood the situation before starting a pre-flight check.
A short taxi to the staging area with a neko on the ground giving signals to taxi them in.
Marco gave and received a thumbs up. All was good to go. And in that next moment of stomach-churning euphoria?
Launch.
Space
"This is Wing-93." Kudou announced over the unit comm-channel, "We're off-deck and moving to a holding pattern. We'll move in on the tail of the formation once everybody else is up."
Marco's eyes settled on the other launching members of the 21st, and then on his sensors that showed him both they, and the few others that had been before him in the launching order.
Unaware that his mike was keyed as he brought his craft closer to the now moving formation, Marco spoke out on the unit-wide comm-channel, "If there's a higher power, let me fear no evil. Keep my eyes sharp and my mind fast. Let me be tested in the forge of what's to come and found not lacking." He breathed a deep sigh - and he blinked as he heard Kudou.
"What was that, Marco?" The EWO peaked around the headrest in front of him.
Marco shook his head, "Just - nothing, Kudou. Don't worry about it." And then he noticed the fighter under the callsign 'Hellcat' pulling ahead, on its own, "Lets just focus on the job. Looks like we're pulling wingman duty for this run." Marco eased forward on the throttle, not catching up instantly, but still pulling ahead of the rest of the formation easily enough. It was never good to leave a fellow pilot out in the open like that - though it wasn't exactly good for a fellow pilot to go breaking away from formation like his new-found wingwoman was doing.
"Hellcat, this is Wing-93, we're taking spot on your starboard side." Kudou paused and both Marco and his EWO waited for a confirmation before the Yamataian spoke again, "Hellcat, Wing-93. We're taking spot on your starboard side." Another moment of silence before Kudou declared, "Nothing."
Marco keyed his own radio, "Solitaire, Blade. This is Weismuller. Hellcat pulled ahead of the formation and isn't responding to comms. We're on her starboard running as wingman. Please advise, over."
Marco had found himself passing time, as he often did when he had the excuse, around his plane. In fact the ground crew had already half-heartedly sent an informal complaint to his CO that it was kind of pointless to have both a ground crew separate from the pilot if he was going to be spending all his free time with them elbows-deep in - whatever needed working on for his bird.
Of course he liked to think that the occasional smile and the one time he was actually invited to get a drink (though a flight to get stick time meant he couldn't) were signs that he was earning the respect of the men and women who were going to keep his fighter ready to run when he brought it back. After all, the FNG had to make sure his ground crew respected him, or otherwise neither group would be very effective at the job.
So during the briefing? He was, unsurprisingly, crouched over an open panel helping a member of the ground crew pull a safety-check on the IFF beacon and sensor package. His EWO, Santo Hei Kiyofomi Kudou, had been closer physically to the actual briefing, and while Marco split his attention between the job he was performing and the briefing he knew that his EWO was taking in every little thing about the briefing like a sponge.
When the time came and Marco was throwing on his helmet all he needed to do was do a quick verbal run-through with his more bookish partner to make sure they both understood the situation before starting a pre-flight check.
A short taxi to the staging area with a neko on the ground giving signals to taxi them in.
Marco gave and received a thumbs up. All was good to go. And in that next moment of stomach-churning euphoria?
Launch.
Space
"This is Wing-93." Kudou announced over the unit comm-channel, "We're off-deck and moving to a holding pattern. We'll move in on the tail of the formation once everybody else is up."
Marco's eyes settled on the other launching members of the 21st, and then on his sensors that showed him both they, and the few others that had been before him in the launching order.
Unaware that his mike was keyed as he brought his craft closer to the now moving formation, Marco spoke out on the unit-wide comm-channel, "If there's a higher power, let me fear no evil. Keep my eyes sharp and my mind fast. Let me be tested in the forge of what's to come and found not lacking." He breathed a deep sigh - and he blinked as he heard Kudou.
"What was that, Marco?" The EWO peaked around the headrest in front of him.
Marco shook his head, "Just - nothing, Kudou. Don't worry about it." And then he noticed the fighter under the callsign 'Hellcat' pulling ahead, on its own, "Lets just focus on the job. Looks like we're pulling wingman duty for this run." Marco eased forward on the throttle, not catching up instantly, but still pulling ahead of the rest of the formation easily enough. It was never good to leave a fellow pilot out in the open like that - though it wasn't exactly good for a fellow pilot to go breaking away from formation like his new-found wingwoman was doing.
"Hellcat, this is Wing-93, we're taking spot on your starboard side." Kudou paused and both Marco and his EWO waited for a confirmation before the Yamataian spoke again, "Hellcat, Wing-93. We're taking spot on your starboard side." Another moment of silence before Kudou declared, "Nothing."
Marco keyed his own radio, "Solitaire, Blade. This is Weismuller. Hellcat pulled ahead of the formation and isn't responding to comms. We're on her starboard running as wingman. Please advise, over."
