I can feel the vibration of the Pummeler through the seat, rattling my body quite vigorously. It's a pleasing feeling you get, although less so for men than women.
I look around, and see that the whole flight of rattling parts have assumed formation. The whole squadron was in the air, all six flights of them. Our mission was simple; take down an Awwami supply depot, filled with millions of rounds of ammunition, EM batteries, and enough food to feed the whole Awwami Army for a month. And I was the one to lead the second wave of three flights; the first will be led by our CO, Captain Amy Rice.
She was always the bold sort, the kind which never saw anything as impossible. She saw all and every obstacle as more a road bump and less a wall of hot lead and steel. And in this case, we've got an entire anti-aircraft regiment defending the whole base.
They've got the whole arsenal of weapons to kill planes; MANPADS, SAM in all ranges, and radar-directed flak cannons in all calibers.
But Amy Rice didn't see that as an issue, and so did us. We've taken down more heavily defended targets before.
And so we decided to strike. The first wave struck with great ferocity, eliminating much of the air defense assets. And so we dived in, seeking easy strikes against the prize.
It was at that moment the earth turned to flame, as hidden antiaircraft guns opened fire along the avenues of approach. We were not flying to maneuver, and their fire was very accurate.
It was at that moment a 37mm antiaircraft round struck my port wing. It blasted it clean off, and the starboard wing flung itself up. The world began to spin, and I struggled to break free of my burning aircraft.
But it was no use. The world spun upon itself, the green of the Earth coming closer and closer as the blue of the sky departed from me.
I woke up in my bedroom, my chest heaving, a cold sweat forming.
"Are you okay?" asked my brother David, who was sleeping beside me as we did as kids.
"Yes, David. I'm alright," I replied.
"Just a bad dream?" he asked, his arms inviting me to his comforting embrace.
Embracing in a fraternal embrace with my brother, I said "Just a bad dream, dear. Just a bad, bad dream." I slowly began to slip into the dark abyss of sleep once more.
@Pilotmario by the way. The first main battle tank, the A-102 Panther is almost done!!
@Pilotmario oh. Ok!
@PyrusEnderhunter No. They know that Awwam doesn't have that sort of tech. They view Awwami tech as inferior and nonfunctional.
@Pilotmario rlly? U sure they won't be like: "OMG AWWAM IS BACK!!!!!!" Or something like dat?
@PyrusEnderhunter I think they will be impressed.
@Pilotmario ok. How do u think the crowd will react? (Most likely will be panic considering there has not been a flying ship yet that they have seen).
@PyrusEnderhunter I suppose.
@Pilotmario perhaps some dramatic music with it.
@Pilotmario once the dreadnaught is finished. I would like to make a flyby over Seattle, as a reminder that the I.S.F.O.S is a friend of Paternia. It would be described on behalf of Paternia.
@PyrusEnderhunter The people of Seattle are safe and happy now, thanks to the 33rd Armored Division, better known as the "Winged Hussars".
@Pilotmario I also read the siege of Seattle. Also good! Although it would have been nice if the I.S.F.O.S would have arisen earlier. I would have loved to relieve the people there.
@PyrusEnderhunter Thanks!
@Pilotmario excellent!
Thanks! @cowelly
@Pilotmario Major Charlie Brown'S B-17F Flying Fortress was called 'Ye Olde Pub' and as you highlight this is now a world famous incident. The same story always rqaises the same questions with me as in what would I have had the guts to do: Preserve Life or think under order and earn that Knight's Cross. TBH I am more of a use my discretion type and this makes me feel that like Stigler I would have Preserved Life too. They did meet again some 40 years on as I remember reading about it myself. I still think you have the makings of a potentialy great writer (author) if you can handle this subject as well as you have done so far :o)
@cowelly I always try to make my characters very believable. This one in particular (Lt. Valerie Vickers) was a 20 year veteran of the Paternian Air Force. A world-famous attack pilot ace, she flew hundreds of sorties over her career. When she entered the service, she was an aspiring, bright, and gifted pilot. When she left, she left with a rack full of medals and ribbons, international fame, and the physical and emotional scars that she got in the process.
She has many other traumatic events, such as when her commander Amy Rice, a mother figure to her (her father raised she and her brother on his own) was killed, or the first time she had to execute someone by means of service revolver (it was an Awwami infiltrator setting charges while dressed in a Paternian uniform). In this particular incident, what actually happened was that the 37mm explosive round struck the wing and although visibly protruding from it, did not detonate throughout the entire flight.
The inspiration to have the bad dream involve the round destroying the aircraft was inspired by the sort of PTSD Maj. Charlie Brown of the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident. What happened was that Maj. Charlie Brown of the USAAF, flying a heavily damaged B-17 with everyone wounded or dead from a bombing raid, was intercepted by Lt. Franz Stigler, who quickly caught up to the damaged bomber in his Bf 109. He knew that if he shot down one more bomber, he would be eligible for the Knight's Cross. However, as he approached, he saw through the damaged airframe that the bomber aircrew were all injured, and therefore decided to escort the bomber to safety.
Initially, he tried to gesture to the pilot to either land and surrender at a German airfield or fly north to neutral Sweden (the B-17's radio was destroyed), where they could receive medical attention far sooner than if they flew to England. Maj. Brown could not understand his hand gestures, and when Lt. Stigler realized this, he decided to escort the bomber to the English Channel in close formation, knowing that German flak would not open fire on the bomber if he was in close proximity. Lt. Stigler did this at great risk, as previously, his radiator has sustained a hit from a .50 caliber bullet, meaning that his engine can overheat at any time.
When he was certain they were outside of German airspace and over the English Channel, he gave a salute and turned back. It would be over forty years before they reunited, when Brown decided to search
@cowelly Thanks for the input! Know that while I have never served for a day in my life as I am too young to do so, I have great sympathy for those with PTSD. This account is inspired by the stories of those who still live with PTSD.
Thank you for your service to your nation, whichever it may be.
I think you have chosen to handle an extremely delicate subject in a most effective way. War itself is a trauma to have to live through and although you may not end up with PTSD something always comes back from wherever one has served in my experience and will probably be with me until the day I die. I last served actively in 1997 and in 2016 I still wake up suddenly thinking I have accidentally dozed off. Or I am heard issuing instructions to RAF / Royal Navy aircraft in my sleep - callsigns and all. Note how all this still happens TWENTY years after the Former Yugoslavia (UN Resolution 816) or Balkans War and I have never been toild I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Great work - keep it up :o)
@MemeKingIndustriesAndMegaCorporation Okay.
I figure Awwam would just have a bit more character if you made relatable characters.
Virtually every character in this RP with more dimensions to them than a sheet of paper was made by me.
@Pilotmario I Don't want to, I don't have to.
Its okay. I'm not a grammar Nazi.
My mind right now: Don't say hail Webster, don't say hail Webster...@EasternHorizon
@MemeKingIndustriesAndMegaCorporation It's more of talking about the trauma of war which affects every soldier.
You should add some Awwami characters that are relatable. Their proficiencies and flaws alike define them. Like General Aden Sadat, a very competent strategist whose arrogant and overconfidence prevent him from making sound judgements at times.
@Pilotmario :3
@Pilotmario :D
@FlyingHonda27 Thanks!