Gold Wings and Sparrowhawk - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Thursday June 7 1990
Over the Adriatic

The two Navy Tomcats were looking for their targets, a couple of French Air Force Mirages. The skies were clear, the winds soft.

Suddenly, a voice resounded in Harm's helmet.

« Two bogeys, bearing two-five-nine. »
« Bad Man one, taking the lead. Let's go hunt some Frenchies. »

Clipping on their masks, Harm and his wingman Swan took a dive to try and shoot the enemy aircafts. It was a NATO exercise, so it was going to be a simulated kill, but the chase was real, and whoever were those damn Frenchies, they were gonna get it !

In the French Mirages, the excitement was the same. Time to show those amerloques who ruleed the sky !

The planes danced, swerved, dived, rolled, trying to get a lock and claim victory.

Swan was the first to yell.

« Bad Man Two, I got a firing solution, one bogey down ! »
« Let's go for the second one ! » Harm rolled to get behind the second Mirage, but it had time to disappear from the radars.
« Wedge, you see anything ? »
« Nothing on screen. Where did it go ? »

Harm and Swan went back in formation, looking for the Frenchie, but no luck. Until Wedge said. « I see it, it's coming right behind us ! »

Harm dived, trying to get away from the Mirage. But this pilot is a fine one, and Harm found himself locked... and shot.

« Swan, I'm out. They got me. Bad Man One back on deck. »
« Dam'it. I have to get the bastard ! Bad Man Two still in the air. Loki, you see anything ? »

The RIO nicknamed Loki looked out of the cockpit, trying to see where the Mirage went, checked his radar.

« No luck. Oh, wait. I have an echo on one seven four, but I'm not sure it's him. »
« Let's check it out. »

Swan and Loki turned to cross the bogey's path, but there was a slight problem.

« He's flying in the sun ! »

They dropped their sun visors to try and cut the sun's glare, but it was too late.

« He's locked on us ! Evasive maneuvers ! »

No luck. Only minutes after taking Harm and Wedge down, the Frenchie eliminated Swan and Loki as well.

The deception was big that night aboard the Seahawk. Despite one good kill, the idea of having been beaten by a single French plane was unnerving. First day of the war game, and they had already lost one encounter. Time to retaliate.

Over the next days, they shot down teams from other countries, but nothing could erase that first burn.

*****

On the french Air Force base in Salon de Provence, on the other hand, a pilot was celebrated like a hero.

« To Dragon, who took down those two Navy jokeys after her wingman has been taken out. »

Lieutenant Hélène 'Nell' Marchand, callsign Dragon, was the first female aviator in the French Air Force, and the first to have taken down a target during these war games.

« Thanks. But you know it's a team effort. If Gecko hadn't been shot down, I couldn't have done it. »

The aviator nicknamed Gecko hanged his head with a half smile while everyone laughed. Dragon was known for giving a compliment before tearing you down.

« Do we know the name of the team we got ? »
« Not yet, but I'm sure word got around and we'll know soon enough. »
« One more for the Air Force the Navy won't get ! »

*****

On the last day of the war game, the ship's captain gathered his pilots and officers in the briefing room. Every team involved in the war games had the same message.

« Ladies, gentlemen, to mark the end of this exercise, the American delegation in Italy is organizing a ball in Naples tomorrow night. You have all been invited to join. Dress Whites for the men, women can chose between Dress Whites or a formal party dress. Schedules for departure will be handed out. You can be excused if you want. Dissmissed. »

The crew snapped to, and broke in little groups.

« You're attending ? »
« Oh yeah ! No way I'm missing that ! »
« I don't know if I'm gonna go, I don't dance ! »
« Come on, it'll be fun ! »

Harm was excited to go there. He was sure he was going to meet the team that had shot him, and he wanted to face them, whoever they were. He was not afraid of a little brawl if necessary, he just had to avoid doing it in front of the brass.

*****

In her quarters, Nell looked at her dress. No uniform for her. Her mom had shipped her graduation dress, made from a dark green silk that made her pale skin shine, with a strapless bustier and a flowing skirt that was short in the front and long in the back. It enhanced her slender figure and made her look taller than her five feet eight inches. She was going to wear it with four inches black strap shoes, putting her in the six feet height, enough to be noticed.

Her roommate Céline walked in, saw the dress and shoes. Her face fell and she looked bitter.

« You're so lucky to go to a ball ! And in Naples of all cities ! »
« I'm sorry you haven't been invited. »
« Mechanics NCOs are never invited anywhere. »
« I'll throw a ball for your birthday if you want. »
« Nah, I'll get drunk and fall on my face, that wouldn't be elegant. »

They laughed. Nell was really excited to go to the ball. She loved formal occasions. Dancing, gourmet food, champagne, what was not to like !

« Oh, and don't forget about being a Girl Scout ! »
« What do you mean ? »
« Always be prepared ! » And Céline handed Nell a box of condoms.
« A whole box ? Aren't you a little optimistic ? »
« You have a two-day leave, you might as well enjoy them with someone ! »

Nell shook her head, but took the box anyway and put it in her party bag. Céline smiled and shook her own box. « You never know what may happen ! »