Battle of Generations

I lean off of Sakura's stepping ladder as Clover taxied Sakura into her new home, making light chatter as she drove. As Sakura swung back around to face the outside I kicked off the ladder. As Clover vaulted out of her seat, Doc walked up to us, waving us down before returning his hands to his pockets.

Doc: "You two were out for a while, the first date already?"

Doc's face lights up in a light-hearted grin as I wave off his joke.

Jax: "I was giving a few pointers to Clover."

I take a glance at Clover as she shoves her chin further into the chest. Her hood remained on her head, further masking her face. But the mask itself seemed to vanish into thin air, finding it nowhere in the sight. I wonder if it's the same system as my jacket's mask system.

Clover: "Jax... Was just helping me earn Sakura's name... Nothing more... He's a really good pilot..."

Doc: "I see, Jax is quite the exceptional pilot."

Jax: "Nah, I just have more experience. If you want to see a really good pilot you should see Bo-.. ss..."

Clover: "... Jax?"

I snap awake from my sudden diversion, looking at Doc and Clover's slightly concerned faces.

Jax: "Ah, sorry. Got lost in thought. If you wanna see a really good pilot you should see Boss. I've never won to him before."

Clover: "Boss..? As in the base's commander?.. I didn't know he flew as well..."

Jax: "Ah no. By Boss, I mean Lucas, another AeroCord pilot. I call him Boss due to how good he is. He's like the final boss in a game, thus the name. Capt'n doesn't fly an AeroCord, but he's known to fly some helicopters we have off base."

Clover: "Oh... If you haven't won against him... I wonder how good he really is..."

Boss: "How good who is? Who's this little missy?"

Taken by surprise by the unfamiliar voice, Clover once more takes shelter in her hood as Boss's large hand falls onto her small head. I look up to Boss, adverting my eyes involuntarily.

Jax: "Ah... hey Boss..."

I feel the gaze Doc's questioning gaze as he turns to meet Boss.

Doc: "Hello again Lucas, haven't seen you in a few days. Where have you been hiding?"

Boss: "Been running a few missions, resting in between. Ya know, the usual."

Doc: "I see. This here is Clover RayDance, And her AeroCord; the Royal Sakura, A heavy artillery class."

Boss: "A new pilot and a Heavy artillery class? Don't get new pilots or classes often, well nice to meet you, little missy."

Clover: "I'm... 24 you know!.."

Boss explodes in laughter from the remark after taking in the words spoken. He calms himself wiping a tear from his eye. Was her being 24 that funny? She is quite small, but is that really that surprising? Boss chokes over his words as he scoffs out his piece of mind.

Boss: "There's no need... No need to lie about your age little missy. Jax, over there is only 18 himself."

Boss looks around the room, reading the atmosphere. Realizing he was in the wrong, he removes his glasses, trying his hardest to show his apologies.

Boss: "Ah, I'm sorry little miss... I mean little lady, I didn't realize."

Clover: "It's fine... Jax calls you Boss... Right?.."

Boss: "Yes. He does, why?"

Clover: "He said... You were really good!.. I wanted to see for myself..."

Boss: "Well the kiddo over there hasn't won a single duel yet. But, if you want a front-row seat of him getting clubbed, Well, I can do that for ya, little lady."

Jax: "Oh? Those are some pretty tall fighting words you got there Boss. You wanna go?"

Boss: "What if I do kiddo?"

Our eyes locked, as my adrenaline ran from the excitement from another duel.

Clover: "N-No!.. I wanted to duel you myself... Bo-.. Boss..."

Boss adverts his gaze to Clover, giving her a gentle pat on the head.

Boss: "You can just call me Lucas if you want little lady. Jax has a little habit of giving others nicknames."

She gives a shallow nod, mutter out an unintelligible word.

Boss: "And if your up for it, ill be happy to."

Jax: "Mind if I shadow the duel?"

Boss: "I don't mind. Do you little lady."

Clover shakes her head, allowing me to watch their battle.

Jax: "I'll meet you both on the runway then."

Me and boss both walk out of the hanger as the ground crew finished up refueling Sakura. We walk down the driveway, reaching Barrages hanger. Boss pauses in front of the door as I continue off to Spirit's hanger in silence.

Boss: "Jax, I know you probably won't forgive me for what you saw. But I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry..."

I pause, turning back to see Boss's disheartened face looking away in dismal. I advert my gaze, shifting my body to meet the perpendicular runway a few dozen feet away.

Jax: "Don't worry about it... Just... Give me a little bit of time Boss. We can talk then."

Boss: "Thanks, Jax..."

I turn back around, continuing my steady pace to Spirit's hanger. A squeak cries out from behind me a few seconds later, signaling Boss's retreat into the hanger. These things take time Boss, ill need a little more time before I can confront that...

I step into the hanger's already wide-open doors. Once more jumping into Spirit and spooling her engines. Once again rolling out to the runway for the third time today. I park on the right side corner of Boss's formation.

Jax: "Permission to take off once more CO?"

Chloe: "Third time today Jax... Permission granted."

Jax: "I know, I know, Thanks."

I disconnect my radio from the tower once more. Looking across the formation, my eyes fall on Clover. I connect my comms to our formation, speaking firmly into the radio.

Jax: "Clover."

Clover: "Y-Yes!?"

Jax: "Stay in formation. Don't go showing off this time."

Her voice's whimpering tone cries over the radio as she looks down in low morale.

Clover: "Ok..."

For someone so timid, she really likes to show off... Boss beings to roll down the runway as me and Clover follow in formation. Remaining in form as I ordered, we all take off and cruise to the usual airspace.

Jax: "Boss, trade positions with me."

Boss: "Huh? Why?"

Jax: "Do you want to break right into me when you two split off?"

Boss: "Ah! Right..."

Boss climbs, rolling into the right-hand position as I take over as flight lead.

Jax: "Standard mock duel rules, ill be ghosting the duel as a spectator. Split on my mark... Break!"

My two wingmates break off as I climb into the now orange skies once more. I count the seconds as they gain increasingly more distance.

Jax: "Turn!"

The two dots whip back around for a head-on. I begin to circle in the skies as the two rocketing contrails race towards each other. crossing, the two trails both pull up into a loop. The red-tint of the Royal Sakura Flashes in the bright orange sky as it cuts into Barrages turn circle.

Boss: "Shi-"

Boss jinks hard at the unexpected situation, regaining his composure as he evades Sakura's nose. Was he not expecting Sakura's agility? I can't blame him, until today Barrage ranked the second most agile and maneuverable in our arsenal. They spiral to the ground, scissoring around each other as Boss continually evades Sakura's agility. Boss tightens his turn, causing Sakura to sit side by side in their spiral. They spin around each other, narrowly evading contact between the two as the ground raced up to them. For how outmatched Barrage is compared to Sakura, Boss is holding his own extremely well. Is it his skill, or Clover's inexperience? They split away from each other, entering into a ground-level circling rate fight. The two aircraft circle each other, flying barely a few hundred feet away from the ground. They continue to circle, trying to gain every inch towards their bandit's tail. Sakura begins to gain ground in the circle, slowly inching closer and closer to Barrage's six. She's closing in too fast and aggressively... Finally, Sakura ends up just behind Barrage, Until, suddenly, Barrage pulls hard. Forcing Sakura to shoot out underneath him as he rolls up and over the to rocketing Sakura. Realizing her mistake she tries to recover. Idling her engines and dropping her airbrakes, she pulls into him hard. But it's too late, Boss lines up behind the Sakura, giving the fatal call.

Clover: "Wha-what was that!?..."

Jax: "He performed what's called a reversal. You came in too fast and he used that to force you to over-shoot. Didn't they teach you any?"

The whimpering Clover mutters out the words:

Clover: "No..."

She doesn't take losing very well does she?

Jax: "What were those teachers teaching... Hey Clover, does your F15 have a co-pilot position?"

Clover: "It... Does... Why?.."

Jax: "Boss, are you up for a rematch with Clover?"

Boss: "If the little lady is up for it, I am."

Jax: "Sweet. Clover, let me fly with you."