Yukikaze

As Captain O’Donnell attended to the briefing and cheerfully cracked jokes, Lieutenant Emery sat behind him, taking notes. She’s probably the reason he’s in such a good mood, thought Major Booker. In public, she addressed him as “Captain O’Donnell” and did so curtly, as though to give the impression there was nothing more between them.

However, some hours after the briefing had ended, when Booker went down to the dark and now abandoned maintenance bay, he witnessed a scene that made it clear their relationship was more than just a professional one.

“Listen, Hugh,” Lieutenant Emery said, speaking in an intimate tone, “I’m worried about this.”

“Don’t be,” the captain replied. “The Fand II’s a good plane.”

“But they said the tests on the central computer still weren’t complete — ”

“It’ll be okay. If anything happens, I’ll have this Sylphid to act as backup. And it isn’t just any old Sylph. It’s a Super Sylph. It’s a fantastic plane, and Unit 3 here is the very best that Boomerang Squadron’s got. Its avionics hardware may be outdated compared to the Fand II’s, but it’s actually more powerful. In truth, I envy the guy who flies it. He’s ended up in the strongest fighter there is.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever understand why these fighters appeal to you so much. They’re just machines.”

“We need the best planes possible to counter the JAM.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“What, are you jealous, Eva?” O’Donnell teased.

“No, I’m worried about you,” Lieutenant Emery snapped. “I worry all the time.”

“No need. I only have eyes for you. If another woman ever touched me, she’d turn into a pillar of ice and shatter.”

“I’m being serious,” Emery said, stamping her foot. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Honey, I’m always serious,” he replied, grinning, and pulled her into an embrace.

“You’re only serious about whatever’s new. That’s why you became a test pilot, isn’t it? Am I just one more thing you’re testing out?”

“Eva, you’re not like a plane. Believe it or not, I can tell the difference,” O’Donnell said with a hint of exasperation in his voice. “Why are you being like this?”

She stiffened for a moment, then suddenly collapsed against him, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I want to go home,” she said in a small voice. “Back to Earth. With you.”

“You mean run away? The JAM are still after Earth. I have to — ”

“Stop it! Please, just stop...”

“Maybe you’re right,” he said, stroking her hair. “But just calm down a little, okay? My term of duty’s almost up here. If you want, I’ll resign from the FAF. But as long as I can still fly, I’m going to keep doing this job.”

“But being a test pilot is so dangerous. You can’t trust these machines like you do. Please. Please, Hugh.”

O’Donnell was silent for a bit, then said gently, “Okay, think about this: my term’s up in two months. In two months... let’s get married.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Eva.”

They shared a warm kiss, and then Lieutenant Emery let go of the captain and informed him in her professional tone that she’d processed the day’s schedule. He gave her a wink and turned to go.

He froze at the sight of a figure standing in the shadow of Yukikaze’s radome.

“Who’s there? State your identification.”

“Lieutenant Rei Fukai.”

O’Donnell looked at the name stenciled beneath Yukikaze’s canopy and nodded.

“Ah, I’ve heard about you. The ace pilot of Boomerang Squadron. That’s an excellent fighter you’ve got there in Yukikaze. What’s that name mean, by the way?”

“‘Snow wind.’”

“‘Snow wind’? Like a snowstorm?”

“No, a snowstorm’s different. A snow wind is a snow wind.”

Rei looked at the two lovers without any expression. As Captain O’Donnell made to approach Yukikaze, he stopped him with a sharp “Don’t touch her,” then climbed up the boarding ladder and opened the canopy using the external manual control. Settling into the cockpit, he turned the master test system on, set the built-in test system selector to interleave mode, and began running the diagnostic routine for Yukikaze’s electronic instrumentation.

“I’ve flown Sylphids before,” O’Donnell called up to him. “But the Sylphs you guys in the SAF fly are another beast entirely. I’ve never gone up in this one, but I’ve heard talk of what it can do. Go easy on me tomorrow, okay?”

Rei remained silent. The captain gave him an easygoing salute anyway, and put his arm around Lieutenant Emery’s shoulder as they exited the maintenance bay.

“First Lieutenant Fukai.”

“Jack. Don’t scare me like that. Where’ve you been hiding?”

“I forgot something down here... Rei, Yukikaze’s modifications have been perfect.”

“You’ve put new systems into her. She’s changing. She’s slipping out of my hands.”

“The system outline is just what I explained to you yesterday. We’ve got an early day tomorrow. Get to bed.” “Yeah.”

Rei nodded, but didn’t make any move to climb down from Yukikaze. Booker sighed. With the combat flight test plan documents bundled under his arm, he left Rei behind in the silent maintenance bay.

Rei was a Boomerang soldier. I should be used to that attitude by now, the major thought. But after seeing the human feelings shared by Captain O’Donnell and Lieutenant Emery, Rei seemed unusually tragic to him. Yukikaze was indifferent to the expectations that her pilot or any other human held for her. She was the heroine of her own story. A spirit of the air who ruled the skies of Faery. The queen of the wind.

0620 HOURS. CLEAR skies. The Fand II’s combat flight test got underway. After the preflight briefing, first the control plane trundled out onto the runway, with Rei aboard it. Next came their escort, 5th Squadron’s Unit 6, Minx, on launch standby.

The Fand II’s engines started up. Captain O’Donnell felt the vibrations with his entire body and sensed nothing out of the ordinary. All caution lights were clear. Standing well away from the plane, Lieutenant Emery asked him through the headset how things looked.

“All systems normal. Okay, I’m raising the output to military. Detach the comm cord.”

“Be careful up there.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve got a present for you when I get back.”

“A present?”

“Just make sure you’re not wearing anything on the ring finger on your left hand.”

“Oh my god... Hugh...!”

“This is Fand II, O’Donnell. Ready for takeoff.”

The control plane made a leisurely takeoff, trundling down the runway and hauling its bulk into the sky. Minx followed, lighting its afterburners in a combat climb.

The Fand II initiated its takeoff sequence. Rotation. Landing gear up. Trying not to stress the plane, O’Donnell guided it along a normal ascent and then banked into a 3G turn. Orbiting the airspace around the base, he waggled the plane’s unique forward-swept wings. He could see Lieutenant Emery below him, a tiny figure on the ground. Yukikaze was not out on the runway. O’Donnell brought the Fand around to the correct heading and opened the throttle, accelerating toward the flight test airspace.

After completing the preflight checks, Major Booker switched Yukikaze’s auto-maneuver system on, closed the canopy and moved away from the plane. Her twin Super Phoenix engines roared to life. The air shook. She accelerated down the runway at terrific speed and lifted off using only 80 percent of the usual length. Pointing her nose skyward, she quickly hit full vertical climbing speed, moving at over 9 Gs.

Like a rocket, thought Major Booker. No, even faster. She was out of sight in an instant.

“Rei, look at her,” the major muttered to himself. “This is Yukikaze. This is her true form.”

Maybe we humans have underestimated her, thought the major as a strange chill traveled through his body.