Good Luck, Yukikaze

safety of his men. Lieutenant Mayle was among the first to be rescued, so he didn’t know then what had become of his subordinates. As team leader, Lieutenant Mayle felt responsible for his subordinates and had personally participated in the rescue operations.

“I fully appreciate all the effort you put into that. You did well, but no matter how many times I say it, I can’t go against the higher-ups. I don’t know the details of this transfer, but I don’t think it’s a bad deal for you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just think of it as executive candidate training. Maybe in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be giving me orders.”

“Can you guarantee that I can come back here?”

“No, but they didn’t tell me you couldn’t, so it’s possible. Maybe the higher-ups think you’re being wasted just being used as a squadron-level leader. I have no idea what they’re thinking in this.”

“I’m a fighter pilot. They’re probably gonna ground me because I’m a screwup. What happens to my squadron once I’m gone?”

“The squadron will stay in operation, even without you,” the CO said. “Why wouldn’t it? I promise, I’ll keep it going.”

“My squadron is like family to me.”

“I’ll throw you a farewell party. But in lieu of a farewell gift, I’ll tell you something.”

“What?”

“I’ve been giving some thought to what destroyed your plane. Don’t tell anyone this, especially the higher- ups. I don’t dare say anything since I have no evidence of this —”

“What are you trying to tell me? That I was the cause? You sound exactly like you want to get rid of me.”

“Lieutenant Mayle, look... I think your man Lancome did it. I’m saying that he sabotaged your plane somehow. He’s the only suspect that came up out of the entire maintenance crew.”

“What, like Lancome mixed sugar into our planes’ fuel? A fighter isn’t a car, sir!” Mayle exclaimed.

“He probably messed with your flight software. Apparently, it is possible to cause what happened to you using the maintenance chief’s access code.”

“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“There’s no proof. We couldn’t find anything in the wreckage of the downed planes we recovered. And yet Lieutenant Lancome died in that friendly fire incident with that unmanned SAF plane,” the commanding officer explained. “They claim it was an accidental weapons discharge, but you know how they are. Who can say if that’s true? I’m wondering if that wasn’t an accident, that the SAF somehow found out that Lieutenant Lancome was sabotaging the planes.”

“You mean they had him do it and then silenced him?”

“No, probably not. Even if they had, there’d be no benefit to the SAF.”

“You’re telling me that Jonathan Lancome betrayed us?”

“We know for a fact that he was mentally unstable. He was probably sick. Just couldn’t take being grounded anymore. So he ended up committing a destructive act —”

“He wasn’t that sort of person!” Mayle said.

“I wonder if your naivety might not have caused this. I can’t directly check up on the mental condition and daily attitudes of everyone on this base. It’s your responsibility to keep up with what’s happening with the men under your command. You probably don’t have suspicions about anyone in your squadron. Maybe you were too close to the problem, and the SAF knew Lieutenant Lancome better than you did. That’s the part that really irks me. That those people aren’t just spying on the JAM but also on what’s going on in here.”

“Do you realize how crazy you sound right now?”

“I think I’m seeing this more coolly than you are, Lieutenant Mayle. Your squadron’s planes suffered some sort of electronic attack by the JAM, or engine trouble. I’m not going to deny the results of the official inquiry. What I just told you now are my personal feelings as a farewell gift. Now go to that retraining unit. It’s just the place for you. Dismissed.”

The man had started out sounding like he was praising Mayle, only to start tearing him down. He acted so understanding, only to reveal his distrust. Personal feelings, huh? What the hell had he been playing at? Mayle couldn’t understand his intentions at all, and his commander’s ambiguous manner had pissed him off. Even so, he couldn’t just blow up at him. It would have been foolish to risk a firing squad by trying to go up against a man who took his own self-protection as seriously as the CO did. Besides, considering there was a chance that Mayle might return here in an even higher position than his commander, he managed to choke his anger at the man’s indecipherable attitude down to mere annoyance, and exited the office.

The men under Mayle’s command were sorry to see him go. At least, they seemed so. No, he knew that their feelings for him were genuine, but as far as this squadron was concerned, Lieutenant Mayle was no longer a part of it. That was driven home to him by their attitude when he announced that Lieutenant Gargoyle was to be their new acting team leader. Gargoyle might have still technically been Lieutenant Mayle’s subordinate, but it was clear that his executive officer was now their leader, their boss.

“Take good care of this squadron, Lieutenant,” Mayle had said. Gargoyle had nodded and then replied.

“Actually, Lieutenant, I was promoted to captain yesterday. I just haven’t put my new rank badge on yet.”

“Good for you.”

“Do your best too, Lieutenant. And don’t worry about things back here.”

I’ll worry about whomever I damn well want to worry about—No, Mayle couldn’t turn on his men like that. This was the squadron he’d nurtured and protected, and now he no longer belonged there. The loss he felt made him miserable, then angry. If Lieutenant Gargoyle had managed to force him out of the squadron on his own merits, Mayle still wouldn’t have liked it, but at least he’d have been able to understand it. But that wasn’t the case here. Why just me? he wondered. The entire squadron had gone down, so shouldn’t they all be candidates for this retraining unit? He could understand if he was being sent there as the representative for the entire squadron, but his orders hadn’t mentioned that. He was leaving and not expected to return.

The higher-ups were completely ignoring all of his accomplishments, and Lieutenant Mayle didn’t like that one bit. What was the point of everything he’d been doing up till now if this was how they were going to repay him? Logically, he could understand that things like this happened in large organizations, but now that he was actually in this situation, he could only see it as being completely unfair. Logic could do little to assuage his emotions.

As Gavin Mayle unpacked his bags in the room where his new life would begin, all he could think was that he’d just end up a loser unless he did something about this. He had no intention of being content with the fate that all these other people had been handed. No, he was going to have to make a fresh start and begin clawing his way up again. If he wanted to feel even a little better, he’d have to keep himself at least half a head higher than the others. And if anyone got in his way, well... they had better not.

Before he could finish his unpacking, an announcement came over the intercom — all hands were ordered to a staff assembly.

Their schedule was broken down into a minute-by-minute menu. We’re being treated like raw recruits, Lieutenant Mayle thought. It irritated him, but he didn’t defy his orders. Those who were late to arrive would be punished, and while the punishment might not be very severe, Mayle realized that even a punishment “game” would probably reveal the personality of their new commander. Coming to his senses, he was the first man out of the room.

They gathered at an aircraft hangar rather than an auditorium. Four Systems Corps training jets were lined up in a row. They were Fand light attack fighters, older models than the Fand IIs now in use. Still, this model had been modified and improved over its long years of service and was highly reliable, Lieutenant Mayle thought. The paint job on them looked brand-new: light gray with broad red, white, and blue stripes. They almost looked like the markings you’d see on an aerobatic team.

They were lined up according to their barracks assignments. Mayle’s group was the very last room, and he stood at the end of his row. Each room had eight men assigned to it, but his group had six. Seeing that he was the last man, Lieutenant Mayle grew irritated again. His room only had six people in it, so there was nobody behind him. Dammit, what the hell was going on? he wondered. Were they implying that he was the lowest man on this totem pole?