Starcross

Chapter Four - Part l

Minot Air Force Base

Minot, North Dakota

4 March 2020

      Whether it was a stroke luck or fate, she was still alive. More importantly to the potential war effort, the air base was still here. In 2015, with all the military spending budget cuts and the increased use of cheaper UCAVs, Minot Air Base was scheduled for shut down and the fleet of B-52 bombers that were stationed here were going to be mothballed and eventually scrapped. However, thanks to the North Dakota Air National Guard buying the base with the funds given to the state by the fracking companies, the Air Force was allowed to remain here as long as they provided aircraft to the ANG. Somewhere, everyone thought it was a good idea to have a base that can strike in Canada quickly if a war with them ever broke out; a completely laughable idea if there ever was one.

      But for some reason, Ann Harrison was still alive and sitting in the warm and dry ready room for the pilots. A snow storm had been blowing for the past few days and the temperature was none existent, which made the carpeted walls and thermal heater of the cheap plywood building all the better.

      “Hey Potluck,” Her co-pilot Sadie Padgett pulled her attention from the over used novel that had held captivated her for most of the morning. “Do you think they’re actually gonna’ send us out today?”

      “Nah,” Ann replied without looking up, lest she lost her place. “I think it’s against the law for the military to deploy on combat missions inside the States.” Early that morning, the entire 69th Bomb Squadron to which she and her co-pilot belonged were given a briefing on the current situation and possible targets. At the time Ann was excited to give the purple eyed freaks a little payback, it had been a long time since the B-52 BUFF’s, or Big Ugly Flying Freak, had been called to drop iron on someone; but that didn’t mean the Knight Hawks wouldn’t give them Hell in a neat little hand basket.

      Problem was, that was hours ago and most of the pilots called to action that were currently waiting in the ready room had lost their bravado. Now all that remained was the sorrow for what happened to their brothers and sisters in arms and fear that the same thing would happen to them. Somewhere in orbit the light cruisers that disguised themselves as civilian cargo ships were still waiting for targets to burn off the face of the Earth.

      “Well,” Padgett said through a yawn which caused Harrison to yawn which started a whole chain reaction through the padded room. “We should be called off duty soon, right? I want to get some lunch. You know how I hate to fly hungry.”

      “Sadie, sweetie, you’re the only one who’s willing to eat the gruel they have in the mess hall and ask for seconds.” Ann jibed.

      As a reply, Lieutenant Padgett just stuck her tongue out.

      “Hey Ann, I’ve been meaning to ask how you got your name,” Another one of the pilots, she thought his name was Tyler something, asked. “Is it because you’re a good cook?”

      “Please, it’s the exact opposite.” A fourth pilot spoke up. “This is the only person I know who can burn water.” A laugh echoed.

      “Actually it’s because I’m so short I can fit in one of the jumbo pots in the kitchen.” Ann answered honestly. She barely met the height requirement for flying.

      “No way!” Tyler sat up with a stupid grin on his face. “How’d you figure it out? Was it like a dare or something?”

      This time Sadie answered for her. “No, it was after a weekend pass and we were still drunk. There was a huge pot just sitting open on the floor and she climbed in.” More laughter. Sadie started telling the others about some of Ann’s embarrassing stories of when they were in flight school and redness filled her cheeks.

      “I’m glad you all find this so funny,” The rough voice of the Flight Captain boomed after a few minutes of laughter and merriment. In unison, each person in the ready room jumped up and saluted as they acknowledged the officer. “While good men and women are out there dying from this cowardly attack, you’re all in here talking about being drunk!”

      “Sir,” Tyler spoke up. “We’re just trying to lighten the mood.”

      Major Blackburn fixed Tyler with a death-ray stare. “Don’t.” He turned to the others and brought his full present to bare. “We have just been given the green light for Operation Hammer-strike. Report to your planes and standby for orders.”

      Ann’s eyes went wide. Hammer-strike was what they were briefed on this morning after they were roused from their beds and forced to walk to the briefing room in the blizzard. Needless to say, no one really needed coffee to stay awake. Their orders were to fly to key locations, those being Druidth colonies that were apparently being used as staging areas for the Druidth landing forces, and bomb them back to before the Stone-Age. A few of the pilots quietly wondered amongst themselves whether this was true or if it was fabricated information in order to get them to carry out the mission.

      One by one the pilots walked out of the ready room and down to the repurposed baggage cart that served as quick transportation across the tarmac to the flight line where the old yet still very usable aircraft sat in the cold snow. Ground crewmen scurried around each plane fueling, loading munitions, or carrying out the last pre-flight checks, all of them looked miserable in the frigid air yet still determined to carry out their tasks as Ann and Sadie climbed the ladder that led to the cockpit and strapped themselves in. Normally, the radio would be full of the sexist chatter that all the other pilots threw at them for being an all women crew, even the crew chief was a woman, but today it was oddly silent, somber even.

      “Flaps, check,” Sadie started the preflight checklist that had been around since the first World War. “Fuel, check.”

      “Bay doors closed,” Ann carried out her own checklist, each of them operating autonomously yet still listening to the other to make sure nothing was missed. It would be really bad if they got several thousand feet in the air and found out the oil temperature was low. When the checklist was complete, Ann spoke into her microphone. “Aztec two-four-six Romeo to Tower, preflight complete and standing by.”

      “Affirmative four-six Romeo. How’s Rosie sitting today?” The tower controller asked using the name Ann and Sadie gave the old plane, Rosie as in Rosie the Riveter.

      “We got the heater on and the coffee brewing. You should stop by if you’re in the neighborhood, Over.”

      Laughter came back and the tower operator, a First Lieutenant named Mike, said, “Roger that, but don’t get too comfortable. Looks like we might launch soon.”

      “Tower,” Sadie cut in. “I didn’t know you were coming with us.”

      “Ha ha. Standby, Rosie. Out.”

      Harrison turned to Sadie sitting to the right of her. “You just had to cut in, didn’t you?”

      “Oh relax. I did you a favor.”

      “Did you now? Care to elaborate?”

      “Well, sweetie,” Padgett started slowly. “I highly doubt that the Major would like you two having radio sex…”

      Ann stumbled for a second, giving away how much she actually liked Mike. “Who’s screwing over the radio?” Elaine Orr, the Crew Chief asked peeking in through the curtain behind them, which caused Ann to blush again and Sadie just laughed.

      “How are the presents?” Harrison asked referring to the payload and trying to change the subject.

      “Squared away and ready for delivery. Though I doubt we’ll be the ones to use them…” Elaine was always a pessimist. If she had a headache, it was a tumor. If they hit turbulence, they were just shot down; Harrison had a theory that it was her way of controlling her world.

      Sadie leaned back in her seat. “Ever think about how weird it is that we get jealous when someone else gets chosen to go kill someone?”

      “Sadie,” Ann sighed, getting comfortable as well. “Anyone ever told you that you have a hell of a way to kill the mood?”

      “Yes,” She replied matter-of-factly. “My first boyfriend to be exact.”