Aviator Belle

 Flying is what she loved most in life. None of her friends or family could deny it was a passion of hers. Ever since she was twelve at her very first airshow. Aircraft were a recent invention by at least two decades before being used in warfare. Thanks to the Gnomes, Dwarves, and other inventors along with the new alien invaders. It was difficult to understand why the alien races did not use their own aircraft fully in their invasion. Some presumed it had more to do with success using ground troops and the lessened need for any aerial attacks. When she signed in to join their newly formed V.U.V.R.'s air force, she learned these aliens that invaded used up their most powerful aircraft on each other. After twelve years of flying aircraft, gliders, kite sails, and some airships Belle Modesitt felt ready to take on some new aircraft they produced. The Arrowhawk 500 was all too familiar. She served during the last months of the Zegrav War.

A few years later she was called back into service against a new enemy, Vullan. Vullan and their allies were at war with the VUVR. When she first heard about this war, she could only think these words. Who is getting their ass kicked this time? Vullan was their target, the half of the Boathrin Kingdom that rebelled along with dozens of other states. To her Boathrin wanted their land back, which had to be their reasons for joining the V.U.V.R. She heard people say the member ship into the Vestrisian Union increased due to the threat these aliens posed. In her aviator uniform, jumpsuit, air force jacket, long leather gauntlets, zipper boots with buckled cover, and life vest in a white color, she stood at the door of the hangar. Aviator goggles around her neck, oxygen mask and microphone in one hand. Belle held the skull cap and K-2 Type helmet. Moving further inside this hangar somewhere on Hantele Island, Lieutenant Belle Modesitt found 67 aircraft. Arrowhawk500s, Holy Angels-98, Screaming Hawks, Roaring Eagles filled Hangar 922. Forty-one other pilots and aviators geared up for flight were assembling at a corner of the hangar. Joining them she passed Arrowhawk 500s, Holy Angels-98, and the Roaring Eagles. With a length of 29 forearms, 11 forearms tall, a wingspan of 30 forearms, the Arrowhawk played a fighter escort, and dogfighter role. A large spear tip jutted out past the propellors. Its wings rested on the middle of the fuselage just under the cockpit. One design had the Arrowhawk wings on the top just behind the cockpit. Arrowhawk wings are thicker in the similar shape to that of the flying predator without the feathers. Its engine, the G-44 piston engine gave it a speed of 386-398 lph. At a closer glance it an extra pair of wings under the other pair could be seen on the Arrowhawk 500. A V-tail was installed on any of these prototypes, and just stayed there for its uses. Painted to resemble a carnivorous bird, this aircraft seemed menacing to challenge. 

Holy Angels-98 a dive bomber that kills tanks, vehicles, small bunkers, pillboxes, and harasses convoys like a ground attacker. This 12 forearm tall aircraft had a wingspan of 60 forearms, 38.7 forearms long, empty weight of 11, 000 ingots, MTOW of 16,798, Wgt Diff of 6,454. Its speed rises to 247 lph, altitude of 23,000 forearms, and range of 1,066 leagues. Carrying about three bombs, the Holy Angel is armed with a pair of Gloster 47 HMG turned to cannons for aircraft dogfights. Painted Orange with blue stripes, the Holy Angel-98 held the appearance of a metallic open claw of a crab with the fuselage, and wings over the cockpit. Two double piston engines carried this dive bomber in the air flanking the cockpit. The propellors appeared incased or shielded to prevent any broken pieces from hitting the pilot. Roaring Eagle-1839 came in different prototypes, fighter planes, carrier dive bombers, ground attackers, and escort. No more than 30 forearms in length, a wingspan of 58, 10 forearms tall, empty weight of 10,900 ingots, an altitude of 24,000 forearms, range of 1187 leagues. Roaring Eagles can fly at speeds of 284 lph, armed with a bomb, torpedo, three Mk II Gloster 47 HMGs. Screaming Hawks were the lighter aircraft of 28 forearms in length, 56 forearm wingspan, 10 forearms in height, weight of 9800, and speed of 300 lph due to its Emire reverse propellor piston hybrid. Armed with a pair of the Mechanic Crossbow 888 MGs the Screaming Hawks played more of an escort or patrol-skirmish role in the skies. Only morons would crash these aircraft Belle thought to herself as she approached the assembling pilots. 

"Alright aviators shut up and gather around. High Command wants us to cripple some heavy armored units on Izvar. Most of Mothgar is taken, but we are needed over the island of Izvar. Our spy aircraft and surveyors spotted these Nazdar tanks and other tanks among the Vullanese defenders on Izvar. Equip your bomber with tank killing bombs. Fighters, you keep those Vullanese buzzards off the bombers.” Air Force Master Gimbers briefed the squadrons. The Elemani (Forsythan/Human) Air Force Master stood next to a projector screen showing the Vullanese Islands, and a magnified close up of the Izvari Island. Belle studied her targets as he continued the briefing. Gimbers went through a slideshow of different vehicles they were to take down. S-12 Hellions, 623-Bunyip Island Tanks, Gumbero GG30s, C-95 Tempest Tanks of Gontrella, EW-0W Lurker from Vodwania, the Nazdar Wolf I tanks, and Beast II tanks. Taking a good look at each vehicle they were to spot and destroy became glued to her mind. When he was finished Gimbers ordered for the pilots to race towards their own aircraft. Some heckling, boasting, jesting, mock jeering, and banter filled the hangar as the forty-two pilots raced to their aircraft. Belle climbed into her own Holy Angel-98. She preferred to fly the Arrowhawk 500, but she was more accurate when it came to dropping bombs. Belle had no choice to switch places as the mission was already going underway. She would have to rely on the pilots playing escort, and defend roles in the squadrons. Out of the forty pilots she was flying with only five were on her trust list. Pilots Blue Antietamn, Moc Raven, Riku Al-Bhedde, Gregg Vompyr, and Leonar Yugson were the only ones she trusted with her life. One by one the aircraft exited the hangar onto the runway and launched into the skies. 

Part of a wave of 245 Lieutenant Modesitt's squadron commanded by Captain Kat Bringalls, headed west. In her aircrafts cockpit Belle checked the fuel gauge, compass, altitude indicator, thermometer, ammunition indicator, green balled throttles, prop pitch controls, the steering, unlocked the triggers for the guns, and kept the aircraft at a reasonable speed with the right lever pulled back 72 degrees. The clock read 10:45 A.M. Pressure indicator read a passable number. Slipping her goggles down Lieutenant Modesitt flew in a winged formation with the squadron. As they flew over the Valde Ocean, and landlocked body of water with islands taking up the center, their fleet formed a slight blockade. Explosions went off as mine clearers did their job in cleaning the path for the rest of the fleet. Whoever gave these Vullanese sea mines would have trouble mining their own waters. As it seemed they littered the Vullanese waters with them in the south. Even though they were heading to destroy enemy targets, Belle still caught sight of nature's beauty from above and below her. Much of Izvari's country looked green with hints of brown boulders, and plenty of settlements. It reminded her of rocks with lime all over them in a creek or pond. From the air the settlements, farms, towers, and cities appeared like a miniature replica of a village someone made on a long moss-covered rock in the pond. Everything remained beautiful until they reached the borders and the warzone. Colors of brown, black, charcoal, gray, rusted metals, ash, mud, and scattered pieces of metal dotting the landscape where the war was. Most of the black and brown were craters in the earth, buildings lay in ruin, some places fires still rose while others still smoldered with smoke rising. Over the radio communications she heard the commander warn of flak guns going off. Everyone rose up to a better altitude to avoid the flak guns and AA guns that began firing on them. While the bullets and flak shot into the air Belle felt a little uneasy. Still taking a glance at the ground she spotted flashes of lights appearing along the borders indicating the duels between artillery, and tanks firing their rounds. Explosions were aplenty from all sorts of rounds. She could barely make out the machineguns firing from either side. 

Coming over the border they still felt the impact of the flak guns. One or two of their squadron bailed out from hits to the belly or scratched wings. Yet they were not alone. Other squadrons from the north, and south joined them in their attack on Izvari ground forces. In separate waves they launched their air attack on the Nazdar tanks, and others the Vullanese possessed on Izvar. Some bombs missed, others hit different targets, and plenty of bombs crippled or demolished the intended targets on the ground. Each vehicle or structure hit blew up or were left in a fiery fate. Machine guns soon turned on them from the ground as they dove for their targets. Belle, having released her load on a Beast Tank II opened fire on a trench with Vullanese troopers hoping that took out any combatants. Deep inside she admitted to herself she may have killed some enemies, and wounded others. What was she supposed to do, hold back? Vullanese priests calling themselves mages made off with some arcane witches she knew back home. When she did not hear from either of those good witches Belle's vengeance was set against Vullan. However today they only go after main military not the arcane users among civilian populations. If she were involved in that raid on temples in 1839 A.N. someone would have to lock her up. Who knows what the Vullanese priests and arcane users do with any of the non-converts to their religion. Rumors saying, they experiment on these witches using Tarma or Dragon's Tar, a substance that is easily flammable and difficult to put out. Such a rumor must have caused millions to pour into the recruiting stations. 

Attempting to steer her Holy Angel to the right the wing and tail were hit from aircraft gunfire. It came from the northwestern flanks. She felt foolish for exposing her belly like that. Her own aircraft started to go down even with the engine still going. Bell stabilized the falling aircraft as much as possible while pulling upward. With her left arm keeping her in the air she grabbed the escape parachute lever with her right hand. Snapping sounds of the seat being released filled the cockpit. Her arm pulled another lever that opened up the canopy allowing her parachute to open up and pull her out of the falling Holy Angel. All around her the wind whirled around her from the impact of the parachute leaving the aircraft. When her world stopped spinning around to slowly come down by parachute, she received a good view of the Vullanese aircraft that came after their waves of bombers. There had to be at least 1,043 aircraft that were now being flanked by another wave of Vestrisian Arrowhawks, Boathrin Zu34s, and Screaming Hawks. Belle Modesitt's chute slowly descended to the ground with the wind carrying her towards northwards to the frontlines. From the seat she spotted scattered fighting along the new borders of the conflict. She held on tight as the parachuted seat made its landing. Not as rough as she thought it would be it still brought her to a dangerous situation. Quickly unbuckling herself Belle turned to the east and started sprinting. Being behind enemy lines was not where she wanted to be at this moment. Leaving the parachute seat she left behind the oxygen mask, mess kit, flying gauntlets, microphone, skull cap, and flying helmet. On her Belle carried the heliograph mirror, floating flashlight, hatchet, canteen, bayonet, wire cutters, mug, trench tool, flare gun, puttees, life vest, morse code flashlight, and Onway Revolver along with a pistol in the puttees.  

Just getting back to Vestrisian territory was the only thing she cared about right now. Her mission was done yet a new one appeared. Survive, avoid capture, and return to base. Knowing she had enemies to engage in her path Lieutenant Modesitt pulled out the Onway Revolver and A-76 pistol. In her path lay the barbed wires, ruined structures, some craters, a few down aircraft, destroyed vehicles, corpses, skeletons, shredded pieces of wood, splinters of wood, puddles of blood mixed with water and mud. A few machine nests rested on a makeshift mound. Dead horses could be found along with various vehicles and weapons littering the battlefield. She did not have time to even glance at the horrid scenery. While she made a zigzag pattern to avoid gunfire from either side some enemies did notice her movements. Forced to take these enemies down Belle noticed the Vullanese received reinforcements. A trio of Vodwanians, three Vullanese Knights, three alien humanoids, some Beastmen, Orcs from Gontrella, Argolith Ogres, and Kuruks were among the ones she took down with her firearms, bayonet, tool, and hatchet. Most combatants paused to watch her race towards Vestrisian lines. Forced to dispose of the firearms she lost each weapon after a few swift kills. Losing the bayonet in the throat of an Ogre, the hatchet buried in the shoulder blade of an Orc she managed to take down, the tool shoved into the gut of a Kuruk. As for the flare gun she used it on a large Ogre at close quarters. Some managed to knock her down before each victory, which made her limp a little. Hopping along despite the pain Belle managed to make it to Vestrisian lines yelling out her own name and pilot number.