Page 63 of Ace

“If you do that, you can’t think clearly to protect yourself. Do you think those guys are over there wondering if your dog is gonna miss you?”

“I don’t have a dog.”

“”You know what I mean.”

“Yeah well, Dex, I’m a human. And I refuse to let war change me into some robotic killing monster. If I have to feel things and cry about it all, then I welcome the softness. I don’t think it makes me less of a pilot.”

“Agreed. But just, if it comes to them or us, don’t hesitate.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you Dex.”

“I’m more worried about you.”

“Then we’re a good team.”

He didn’t answer, but she could see him craning his neck all over the place to try and see where the planes had gone.

They hovered below them and to the front for about five minutes then dipped and flew away.

Dex’s exhale rushed in Gianna’s earpiece. “That was too close.”

“Yeah it was.”

“Let’s go home.”

She turned the plane again, and they went in for a landing. “What’s going on?”

“You heard as much as I did. I guess things are escalating with the Mantukese.”

“We’ve got to get to that weapons facility.”

He didn’t answer.

“Dex.”

“I know.” His voice was quiet but determined, and she felt reassured. If she and Dex were united in this, they could take it out. But if she had to do it by herself, she wasn’t so sure. Either way, she was determined to try.

Chapter 22

The next day, and for the three days following, the team had a black cloud hovering over everything they did. Commander Wilkins was distracted, eager for them to complete the training. Sadly, he had his first real possible incident for the Alliance to look forward to. Hopefully it would all come to nothing and be resolved without violence. But things were escalating more than de-escalating, so Dex wasn’t holding his breath.

The longer he waited, the more urgent he felt about making his own mission and heading down to Panau to destroy the facility himself. He’d put in some calls. The other three were willing to back him up. And he was grateful, but as he told them, he needed them to fly planes and train other pilots, not run ground attacks. He needed himself to stay on Tandora for those very reasons, but he didn’t have anyone else he could send.

An air strike would be the easiest, but with an air strike, they ran a great risk of hurting civilians. What was he waiting for? He wanted the whole situation to de-escalate and for Mantuk to voluntarily pull out. Even as he thought the words, he knew it was unlikely. But he also knew that his government would be actively working through diplomatic channels for this very thing. And so he waited. There was also a strong possibility that his efforts to blow up the weapons facility would escalate everything past their ability to resolve peacefully, which was another reason he waited.

He awoke early. His phone dinged. Ivy.Come to the control room.

Ivy sat at the far wall with earphones on. When he entered, she took them off, and the sounds of radio messages played over the speakers in the room. Desperate voices, hurried, one after the other, people were reaching out. The accented voices of the islanders. “Mayday! SOS.” Then words he could not understand.

“What are they saying?”

“I don’t know yet. These just came in. Jed discovered them while scanning for intel on all channels.”

The voices continued. And his stomach clenched. “Why are they in distress?”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Gianna listened from a few feet away.

He closed his eyes and bit back a groan before he turned around. “Can you understand them?”

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