Chapter 93: The Navy is Smiling
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93: The Navy is Smiling
When I froze, unable to react out of sheer bewilderment, Brad showed me another written message as if he had expected my hesitation.
[This is an order. I take responsibility. Just trust me.]
In that moment, it clicked.
He knew all along how much I wanted to fly.
I knew my passion for piloting was obvious, but I thought it would be seen as nothing more than a casual interest. Had the Air Force seen through my desires so deeply that they were willing to make such a crazy proposal?
I stared at the control stick.
My heart, which had remained calm even during the explosive acceleration, was now pounding as if it might burst. My hands trembled.
The moment I grabbed that stick, there would be no turning back. This man would face severe disciplinary action. He might even be forced to turn in his wings.
That was when Lieutenant Colonel Brad spoke.
"High Elf, this is the highest sky, a place only our Air Force can reach."
"..."
"I told you, didn't I? The Air Force quietly flaunts its madness to one another at the highest altitudes."
"..."
"Show me your madness—not as a sailor, but as a member of the Air Force. Capture that in the film. I take full responsibility. Trust me."
I didn't hesitate any longer. I gripped the control stick.
"My aircraft."
Through the reflection in the mirror, I could see his eyes inside the helmet crinkling in a deeper smile than before.
"Enjoy the ultimate freedom."
*
Lieutenant Colonel Brad relaxed and enjoyed Lee Yu-jin’s thrilling aerial maneuvers.
The Air Force quietly expresses its madness among its own at the highest altitudes.
While those words implied that this decision wasn't his alone, what did it matter?
The High Elf is having so much fun.
Yu-jin brilliantly executed various aerial maneuvers she had only experienced in simulations. She was the very picture of a fully seasoned ace pilot.
Can this really be called the maneuvering of a novice on her first flight?
This was a performance that could only be achieved when a pilot born with extraordinary talent honed their skills to the limit and gained ample experience. Even as he experienced it firsthand, Lieutenant Colonel Brad could hardly believe it.
This is genius... no, even the word 'genius' is an insult.
The difficulty of Yu-jin’s maneuvers increased.
After a rapid deceleration that made the jet appear almost stationary, she pulled the nose up vertically, then quickly changed direction and dived.
It was the Herbst maneuver, also known as the J-turn—a feat possible only through the combination of highly sophisticated piloting skills and a high-performance specialized fighter.
Following that, Yu-jin tested the aircraft's performance to its absolute limits, performing a variety of high-difficulty maneuvers, including the Split-S and the Flat Spin Recovery.
Under the crushing pressure of the immense G-force, Lieutenant Colonel Brad grit his teeth to maintain consciousness.
How is a beginner withstanding this kind of G-force?
Even though it was authorized—and ordered—by his superiors, they hadn't anticipated maneuvers of this extreme difficulty. If the Air Force decision-makers who allowed this found out, they might be shocked enough to reprimand him.
However, Brad didn't want to take the stick back from Yu-jin just yet.
He didn't want to extinguish the freedom she was feeling right now.
Just a little more, just a little longer...
Perhaps the one enjoying true freedom wasn't Yu-jin, but himself. He was witnessing the moment the world’s greatest pilot broke out of her shell and soared instantly into the sky. He was watching that radiant glory from the very best seat in the house.
—Cold 1, return to base immediately. This is an order.
A cold voice crackled over the radio.
Lieutenant Colonel Brad smirked.
They watched as much as they wanted, and only now they say something...
"Elf, today's show is over."
"Ah... Copy."
The ecstasy vanished, replaced by a voice full of regret.
However, her trained body had already released the control stick according to the instruction. It was an immediate relinquishment of control.
Lieutenant Colonel Brad tilted the stick and turned the nose toward the runway.
"Don't be too disappointed. The show will go on."
"But Brad, what if you get fired?"
"Are you only worrying about that now?"
*
Every single detail is recorded in the flight log.
The fact that I took the control stick would, of course, be stored in the aircraft's flight computer.
As I climbed out of the cockpit and removed my helmet, Lieutenant Colonel Brad approached me. I could tell he was clearly more flushed than before.
"That was a magnificent flight. To be honest, you were much better than me."
He held out his fist, and I bumped it with mine.
"Don't worry about the disciplinary action. I was just following orders."
"Pardon? You said you'd take all the responsibility."
"It's an order. I take responsibility. Trust me. I went into today's flight after hearing those exact same words, High Elf."
"..."
"So, there's no need to worry about me. The higher-ups will handle the responsibility themselves."
Was I worried for nothing?
And here I thought a Navy ace who didn't belong in the Air Force had wandered into the wrong seat.
"Then what was all that talk about the Air Force quietly boasting of their madness to each other in a sky no one knows about?"
"That's the truth. No matter if it was an order or if it was proven in training, do you think just anyone could hand the stick to a sixteen-year-old girl on her first flight?"
"Ah... I see."
I wasn't anxious because I trusted the physical abilities given to me by a divine being, and I was confident in my own skills.
But this man had met me for the first time today and had only seen my skills through training data. To hand over the controls and silently watch all those flashy maneuvers...
Wow, thinking about it that way, it really is a special kind of madness, isn't it?
Suddenly, the Air Force seemed incredibly cool.
No, Yu-jin. Focus. Either way, the Air Force doesn't have aircraft carriers. They just don't.
I repented for my momentary lapse in loyalty and apologized to Peter, the Panokseon rower inside me.
I flew my heart out because they said it was an order and they'd take responsibility, but is it really okay?
Come to think of it, no matter how much one follows orders, a soldier has a duty to refuse an unlawful command. I was worried that Lieutenant Colonel Brad might still face some level of discipline.
I didn't know who planned this ridiculous event, but I was a bit worried about that decision-maker as well.
As if reading my expression, Lieutenant Colonel Brad grinned, baring his teeth.
"Are you that worried?"
"Yes, naturally..."
"We did it because we were desperate, so there's nothing for you to worry about, Elf. If anything, you helped us."
"I helped you?"
Lieutenant Colonel Brad looked at the F-22 Cold with a somewhat lonely gaze.
"Perhaps the High Elf's flight will save the F-22 Cold program from death."
"..."
"We put everything on the line for this one last shot. Everyone in the Air Force who wants to see the Cold revived."
Suddenly, Jang Ji-hye's words came to mind.
「Yu-jin, Yu-jin, I hope our movie becomes the catalyst for the Cold to gain a new life instead of dying.」
Lieutenant Colonel Brad smiled brightly at me again.
"So don't worry, Elf. This was help we desperately needed."
"No, I'm the one who should be thankful. I had a blast being able to fly a fighter jet."
Another item on my life's bucket list was checked off. And it was the most powerful and secretive fighter jet in the world, no less.
I might never get the chance to fly a real fighter jet again, but today's thrill would remain an eternal memory within me.
I believed it would become a clearer imprint on my soul than even Classical Latin, forming an unchanging part of my identity in the next life and the one after that.
I miss you especially today, my Cardinal Mentor...
You saved this degenerate, who only secretly curses you as a fanatic, before I could be devoured by my parents. You made me a human being with your 'rods of love,' and you engraved that difficult Classical Latin onto my soul so I would never forget it.
Mentor, thanks to you, I am living a good life like this.
If it weren't for Classical Latin, would I have been able to become a high-income earner with just this face that God made by mistake, and even fly a fighter jet under the pretext of a movie?
I am always grateful. May you rest in peace.
He probably wasn't actually a Cardinal, and I didn't even know his exact status in the Vatican. But in my heart, he would always be my Cardinal.
*
The eyes of the Air Force General sank coldly as he received the report on Lee Yu-jin’s flight from Asher, the Public Affairs Director.
"There were no dangerous situations, I assume?"
"None. It was a stable training exercise, perfectly controlled in every way."
"And the flight data?"
"It is being strictly kept within Osan Base. We believe the Pentagon can stall long enough so that Congress won't find out until after the movie's release."
The Secretary of Defense might find this security breach embarrassing. But in the end, he was the one in charge; he would work hard to clean up this scandal one way or another.
"The F-22 Cold must be saved. It's not a program that should be dismantled just because it's held back by a budget. It is an indispensable future that will make a decisive contribution to America's security."
Finally, the Pentagon had made a decision.
[As this could negatively impact the ongoing discussions regarding the restructuring and reinforcement of the US Forces Korea, this matter will be kept strictly confidential for the time being.]
The Secretary had finally realized it, too. If they utilized this security breach well, it could actually be a great help to the US military.
"What matters now is the change in public opinion that the movie will create."
In the past, the Air Force had ultimately saved a blockaded Berlin through an unlimited airlift operation. They were merely investing a tiny fraction of that madness to save the Cold.
*
It was a dreamlike moment I could never forget.
The most ecstatic moment engraved on my soul, the most beautiful sky in the world. Infinite freedom.
This rower has really come up in the world. To even reach the highest heavens.
The Air Force notified me of my 'graduation.'
"Elf, you are no longer a pilot cadet, but a full-fledged pilot in your own right. You have already proven yourself magnificently."
The Air Force also gave me a new flight suit...
[High ELF]
If I become indifferent to these shame attacks that strike whenever I'm about to forget them, I'll be in big trouble...
"I don't know what callsign you'll be referred to in the movie, but in our Air Force, you will be known as the High Elf forever."
"...Was this also a survey conducted across the entire Air Force?"
"It received a 100% unanimous vote. Isn't it amazing?"
"..."
Anyway, Brad informed me that I no longer needed to come to land for training purposes.
"Come whenever you want to fly the Cold. It might not be as exciting as last time, but the sky will still be the same."
"I'll come to see the Cold once in a while!"
*
Today, the entire USS Ford was in a festive mood.
It was because today was finally the day of my first actual flight. Of course, I would only be sitting in the back seat of a Hornet.
I had posted a photo of myself in an F-35 as my first SNS post, but that was strictly for show. The F-35 is a single-seater, so I couldn't actually fly in it unless I was the one piloting.
With cameras packed inside the Hornet's cockpit, I moved to the deck while listening to the proud explanations of the Top Gun, Lieutenant Colonel Viper, who was sitting in front of me.
"Elf, congratulations on your first flight."
"...Thank you?"
Does the Navy not know that I've already flown the F-22 Cold? Then they probably don't know that I actually took the stick and performed all sorts of aerial maneuvers, either.
The Air Force is keeping the security tight. I should keep my mouth shut, too.
Seeing as the filming crew hadn't said anything, it seemed everyone was strictly adhering to their non-disclosure agreements.
I was waiting at the catapult with the cockpit open, and the crew members swarmed around both sides.
"It's finally your first flight! Congratulations!"
"Congrats!"
"It's not much different from the simulator! Do a good job!"
"We believe in you, Elf!"
"..."
Suppressing my dazed feelings, I greeted the people congratulating me with the brightest smile possible.
"Thank you, everyone! I'll be back!"
The 'celebration of the first flight as a sailor' ended, and the cockpit closed.
The blast deflector rose behind the jet, and the roar of the engine warming up vibrated through the fuselage.
I stared at the empty space where the control stick should have been, and suddenly thought back to the infinite freedom I had enjoyed a few days ago.
It feels like something that should be there is gone. I feel empty.
"Elf, the first catapult launch will be quite a shock, but you can handle it. Just trust me."
"Yes, sir."
Finally, the launch began, and the fighter was thrown forward from the deck at a 'slow' speed. I finally realized the greatness of the theory of relativity.
Ah, this is kind of boring...
The catapult takeoff and the carrier landing were exciting and cool, but I realized something even more important.
In the end, there was no dopamine rush more thrilling than piloting the aircraft yourself.
*
On the carrier's island bridge.
Captain Robert and Admiral Theodore, the commander of the carrier strike group, looked on with satisfaction at the Hornet circling the fleet.
"This is truly a monumental moment, Admiral."
"Elf will handle the shock of the first landing with a smile, won't she?"
"Of course."
The Captain and the Admiral looked at each other and smiled brightly.