Blood and Thunder

Posted on Thu Feb 27th, 2020 @ 12:29pm by Captain Edward Tuck & Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen

Mission: Mission 18: Aces High
Location: Various Locations - USS Roanoke
Timeline: 1800Hrs - December 22nd, 2390

Rachael "Firebird" Yamaguchi should have been happy, she should have been overjoyed at what was her crowning achievement, flying on Phoenix's wing and flying with her, getting her callsign approved and earning the respect of some veteran pilots, even some combat veterans. It had all been shattered when one pilot, drunk with alcohol and rage had tried to kill her and another pilot.

The consequences had been horrific, with the confidence that Rachael had recently acquired, had been shattered almost beyond repair, with many others doubting themselves and an air wing of over a hundred pilots all enraged and angry over what had happened, they had all united behind her and they had tried to support her as best they could but Rachael had not gone back to the hanger deck or anything relating to flight operations for the last couple of days.

Torilla had decided to ask Tressa to talk to Rachael about it so now here they were, however Tressa had become bogged down with work so Rachael had been passed off to her assistant, Edward Tuck.

Rachael was sitting in the chair, facing Tuck, her stare was vacant as she looked tired and disheveled. "I was promised I'd be safe..." Rachael responded, almost without emotion. "Now I don't know what to believe anymore..."

"Let's start from the beginning," the counselor said.

"I was flying on Phoenix's wing.." the teen explained. "Helping her test the Wing Commanders and the Squadron Commanders... one of them performed so poorly that you had to see it to believe it... " Rachael explained. "He team killed his own guy eight times..." she added. "Finaly Boomer called it quits for the guy... Gonad is his new callsign, he used to be called Beatstick."

"I will never understand that habit of pilots, 'Gonad?' Oh dearie dearie me." he commented with a smile.

"Oh yes.. thats his callsign.." Rachael explained. "he left at the end of it in a rage..." her eyes seemed to have a dull sheen to them as she recalled the events. "he popped up as I was talking to Wukari... that's Lt Commander Wukari 'Desert Fox' Kalina." Racahel explained. "I was asking her about flight because she makes it look like an art form... next thing I know I'm lying on the deck and I can't move, I can hear someone screaming in pain then I realize that she is me." Racahel sighed. "I've never felt such pain...... Neither did Mom..."

Tuck sat up in his chair. "You were prone and couldn't move? Was your mom there?"

"Thats because she felt what I felt through our mental connection.." Rachael closed her eyes as she tried not to cry, the struggle was costly as a single tear slid down her face. "He had me dead to rights Tressa... he was going to finish Wukari and then come back and kill me... it was a good thing that Teval... the air boss was coming back from the range.... he was able to save the two of us."

"So he hit you? He was angry over the new callsign?" Tuck inquired gently. "Take a deep breathe slowly Rachael..."

"No... he attacked me with a golf club... broke both my legs and one arm." Rachael looked at Tressa. "He then went for Wukari.." she added. "he was going to finish her then come back and finish me... he wanted me to watch him..." she sighed. "I've never seen anything like that before...."

"I can only imagine your pain, you must have been frightened," Tuck said softly.

"Terrified.." Rachael whispered. "I never felt anything like that... he was standing over me... and he looked ready to... kill me." the teen said quietly. "Have you ever felt that.... helplessness... knowing that you were going to die..."

Tuck nodded his head. "I'm sorry Rachael..."

"Tressa..." Rachael paused. "I earned my wings... I felt safe...now I feel vulnerable...I'm scared.." the teen was on the verge of bursting into tears. "That bastard took something from me.... my dignity and my self-respect"