The airship Autumn Dream arrowed through the sky, a hastily hung Tayloristani Government double swastika banner upon either of its broadsides. The cargo airship only had a crew of two, the Captain and his girlfriend, but it had three cargo bays. Bays #1 & #2 were full of food. Bay #3, however, was half full of discontinued 8.11x47mm cartridges, but this bay also contained a human cargo. The human cargo consisted of six people, five of them young women in green uniforms. The sixth was a clean-shaven young man in a green Tayloristani pilot's uniform complete with an active service patch who was sitting on a crate. Between his legs was a large rucksack of the same pattern as his uniform. Balanced upon his lap was a wooden board. Upon this board was a sheet of paper, and in the young man's hand was a pencil with which he was marking the paper.
My dearest Zoe,
I apologize again for leaving so suddenly, and without saying goodbye. I couldn't find you on the ship, and my ship was leaving. War with Cape Verde is a certainty, for we cannot allow them to just roll over whomever they please. I don't know what my assignment is - only that there is a sudden need for pilots willing to undertake an urgent mission immediately. Because you will ask, my vacation is not up. They did not call on me - I volunteered.
When this war is over, we must fly again.
Yours now and forever,
Flight Officer Phillip Seymour
"Hey girls! Lover boy's writing a letter." A female voice called out mockingly. "And it's to the new Amatyi - the one from that backwater, Haven." She added incredulously.
"Like an Amatyi would look twice at him." One woman scoffed.
"Isn't it kind of needy to write on the first day out, especially to a woman you've never met and never will?" A third woman assented.
"I had to go without saying goodbye." Seymour explained, carefully controlling his anger. "Hopefully writing will help clear up any misunderstandings."
The first female burst into a short, sharp mocking laugh at that. "Look, lover boy. You're either delusional and writing to a woman you've never met, or you're telling a woman you claim to be in love with that you're choosing war over her. A woman powerful enough to have you executed on her say-so."
"That's enough." A fourth woman commanded in a tone normally reserved for feral dogs. "Ice, just because you like cynicism doesn't mean he's wrong to be optimistic. Bell, you're not an Amatyi so you don't know what runs through that kind of crazy mind. And Lati," The third woman seemed to recoil a bit. "You can have opinions when you improve your crash rate."
"Thanks." Seymour addressed the fourth woman. "Flight Officer Phillip Seymour."
She addressed Seymour " They'd have let you alone if you'd defended yourself. Name's Captain Annie Bates-"
"But we call her Smokey." Ice interjected. "On account of her 84% record of landing burning planes."
"I thought it was Smokey's unprecedented record at ruining our fun." Bell noted. "Girl's nights out, base commandant baiting, our little patch of heaven on the control tower, and that escape tunnel-"
"The last one wasn't my doing." Smokey noted mildly. "It was Lati crashing into the mess hall which caused me to find out how all our darn cheese was disappearing."
"I take it you fly together often?" Seymour asked.
"The four of us, yes." Bell answered quickly. "But we had to leave our GIBs behind."
"What about her?" Seymour indicated the fifth woman.
"I don't know her." Lati began.
"I can speak." The fifth woman stated quietly but firmly. "Colonel Maria Rodriguez."
"Colonel? So you might know what's with the sudden recruitment." Seymour questioned. "Uh, Ma'am."
"Least you got the last part of that sentence right." Colonel Rodriguez observed dryly. "If you signed up for Operation Midnight Heat, you'll find out."
Bell burst into uncontrollable giggling, and was quickly joined by her three female wingmen.
Colonel Rodriguez stared at the four of them.
"Because...you see...midnight...heat..." Smokey attempted to explain as the giggles died down.
"What?" Colonel Rodriguez asked softly.
"Implies...implies...is an excellent name for a military operation." Smokey barely recovered.
"Very good." Colonel Rodriguez replied with some approval in her tone. "One day, you may be promoted beyond Captain. The naming committee deliberately chooses nonsense names in order to deter anyone from guessing what the mission is."
"But Midnight Heat isn't a nonsense name." Seymour explained. "It could be seen as a euphemism for a romantic night between a man and a woman."
"You only wish that could be you and me." Ice interjected.
Bell fluttered her eyelashes "And here I was thinking it would be me." She joked.
"Sorry to disappoint all of you ladies, but I'm in a committed relationship." Seymour replied with mock reluctance.
"Good." Colonel Rodriguez observed evenly. "One less security risk when we get where we're going."
"What do you mean?" Lati asked softly.
"The number one way military secrets are lost is during sexual contact with enemy spies." Colonel Rodriguez explained. "So naturally it helps security to keep it in your pants."
"I suddenly am much less comfortable with this topic of discussion." Smokey spoke up. "My squadron's relationships are their own - save it for a seminar, Ma'am."
--------------
On board the Absolute Power...
"What do you mean he's gone?" A scarred blonde woman interrogated.
Captain Krystolis shifted. "Ma'am, he requested transport down to Star Tower two days ago, when we were over Haven. I don't know anything else except that he did not return to the ship."
Annabelle wandered into the Ready Room. "I know what he's gone to do."
"Oh really? What would you say? Cheat on me? Repay my naivety?" Zoe rolled her eyes.
"He's gone to enlist in Operation Midnight Heat, which requires an emergency supply of pilots and is related to the incident surrounding Ashanti." Annabelle replied calmly.
"That's classified." Captain Krystolis began, a hard glint in his eye. "How does the Dictator's whore know that? Is he failing his own security protocols?"
"How I know is irrelevant." Annabelle dismissed. "What is relevant is what the Amatyi intends to do about it."
"Intends to do about it?" Zoe asked.
"How you know is extremely relevant." Krystolis uttered. "If the Dictator is giving away military secrets to people who sleep with him, any one of our country's enemies could learn-"
"Even if your concerns were relevant, Captain Krystolis, there isn't a thing you can do about me." Annabelle interrupted. "You will notice that anything I know, I have only discussed with those who already have clearance for it."
"Intends to do about it?" Zoe repeated, an edge in her voice.
"But the Amatyi is almost a civilian and she's sleeping with a common grunt." Captain Krystolis pointed out.
"Captain Krystolis, you and I both know there isn't a choice but to trust Amatyi with secrets. The cities insist." Annabelle answered.
"Hey!" Zoe shouted.
"One day, I will not have to argue how to do my job with prostitutes and civilians." Captain Krystolis vowed.
"No, you won't." Annabelle promised. "Come, Amatyi." She turned and left the Ready Room.
"Well, she's more likely to give me answers than you are." Zoe told Captain Krystolis, then turned to follow Annabelle.
"What do I intend to about it?" Zoe exasperatedly questioned.
"You're Amatyi. You can order him to come back if you find him." Annabelle explained evenly. "You could also order him killed, kidnapped, or deported and the only legal way to stop you is if the Dictator countermanded you."
Zoe stopped. "But I don't want to do any of those things." She began. "Sure, I'll miss him, but I love him because unlike your entire government he allows his heart to lead him. Phillip cut his vacation short in order to make a positive difference in the world."
"So you'll do nothing?" Annabelle noted.
"No, I'm doing something." Zoe stated grimly. "I order you to tell me where he will be when he's getting ready to leave Tayloristani territory."
"You don't have authority." Annabelle lied.
"Don't I?" Zoe reasoned. "You either hold a technical position in the military or you're a prostitute which is a civilian. In either of those cases, you're not the Dictator and therefore I can order you. Heck, I could order you to kneel before me and passionately kiss my feet and you wouldn't have a choice, would you? Now tell me where Phillip will be right before he ships out for Ashanti." She suddenly commanded.
"Yes, because I'm sure you beating her like a two dollar prostitute was a work of manipulative genius." Shrev's voice echoed in Annabelle's head. I'll show you manipulation. She vowed internally.
"But he asked me not to tell you that." Annabelle protested.
"Okay then. If you can't help me find Phillip, there's only one thing you can do for me. Kneel before Zoe!" Zoe ordered harshly.
Annabelle sighed. "Fine. I suppose he didn't order me, strictly speaking, not to tell you. Monsterguard Primary Air Staging. But we're not scheduled to stop over that city for another month, and he flies out in a little more than nineteen hours." She explained in defeat.
"Thank you, Annabelle." Zoe smirked. "I'll have to get back to you about the other thing - I have a boyfriend to catch." Zoe purposefully marched towards the hanger bay.
Behind her, Annabelle smiled. "... your eyes twinkle after you've committed an act of horrific cruelty."
