Wings of Fire Ch. 08 - Teaser (Patreon)

“Well, with that in order, I think I have a few minutes to chat before I must get back to my duties. How have you been, Michelle? Life as a mercenary captain treating you well?” the man questioned. Michelle smiled, as the pair were acquainted, but not overly so. While they had served in the same war, they didn’t cross paths much. Still, Michelle thought it was nice to be able to speak with a fellow veteran.

“Truthfully, it’s more of a challenge some days than it was fighting back then,” she answered honestly.

“Command usually is. There are ups and downs to it, of course, but at least those who follow you do so willingly,” the colonel told her.

“And stupid idiots second guessing every move you make, waiting for the moment you slip up,” she stated bitterly, the sting of betrayal still hurting after all these months.

“Ah, yes. I had heard rumors about that. Terrible business, when your own try to take everything you worked so hard for, because they feel they are more fit to lead,” the man told her, his face sympathetic to her. Michelle huffed, but smiled, as she appreciated the man’s candor.

“Indeed, it is terrible business. But, thankfully, it appears that we are making ourselves a comeback! I am especially happy to see that my boys and girls still have it!” Michelle said happily as she remembered the kill count her pilots had racked up that day.

“No doubt! I am especially thankful that we were able to salvage some of those planes you brought down! While it may not be much, we will be able to recover at least some of the losses we took by rebuilding them,” Colonel Forestwalker told her.

“I’ll bet!” Michelle grinned, as she knew that those planes had been stolen. Shooting them down was less than ideal, but at least some of them could be salvaged.

“So, I am curious about something,” the colonel posed, drawing Michelle’s attention.

“Hmm?”

“That young man that’s a part of your crew… Mister James Brighton, I believe he called himself?” the man asked.

“What of him?” Captain Greyheart wondered, feeling protective over James just then.

“I managed a glance at the report that my niece, Nadine, had put together. Did the boy truly do everything she put on that report?” Colonel Forestwalker queried.

“That he did, and more! Pathfinder Forestwalker wasn’t exaggerating anything she put on it. That boy, he truly can fly!” Michelle stated.

“Seems like Old Iron Wolf hasn’t lost his touch, nor his edge, if he can pick out someone like James and teach him so well!” the colonel chortled.

“That he can! It’s strange though. I haven’t heard from him the man in a couple of years now,” Michelle replied as she thought about her old friend.

“You stayed in touch with him?” Colonel Forestwalker asked, mildly shocked at this revelation.

“Mostly through letters. The last one I got from him was back in ’52. I wondered if he’d up and moved without telling me,” the woman remarked.

“I too, have wondered where he’s gotten to. I’d heard that he purchased some land on the border of the Republic, but other than that, I’ve heard nothing of the man. It was like he and his whole family up and vanished from the face of the earth!” the man told her.

“I assume you had your Pathfinders look into his disappearance?” Michelle asked, hoping he did.

“I did. I will tell you what they told me, and that is that the home he bought lies empty and has for some time. No furniture, no vehicles, not even a single scrap of clothing or garbage was left behind. Whatever he was running from, or whoever took him, made sure that there were no clues to his whereabouts were left behind,” Colonel Forestwalker stated.

“Nothing in the surrounding lands, either?” Michelle pressed.

“Not a damned thing! Which is odd, considering that people don’t just vanish so completely,” the colonel told her. “I’ve had my Pathfinders look into the whole thing several times and they’ve still come up with nothing! Truthfully, it is more than a little worrying!”

“Damn!” she cursed.