Storm

A fanfiction by: Alamandorious

Author's Notes: Thank you for your reviews. I'd also like to thank those that reviewed my previous fanfic, Dark Skies. I always meant to give my thanks, but never really got the chance. I hope that any of you reading this fic will enjoy it as much as you did the other. Also, I did a bit of research, and my fic is nearing the timeline of AC3...as it stands, this fic is now AU, as I've never played AC3 (unfortunately), and I didn't quite like the direction its story took. I'm certain that it was a fun game, but I have to take a bit of creative license ;)

Also, for this chapter, remember that I'm basing Blaze (the original) off of the yes/no choices I made during the game, and I'm going to say that he and Nagase graduated from the same flight school before heading to Sand Island to complete their training.

Chapter 2: Memories & Destinations

The only people that know the true value of peace are those that have lived through wars.

Blaze yawned slightly, peering out blearily at the clouds below. The seats in the small passenger jet were comfortable...maybe a little too comfortable, as the flight had rapidly become boring shortly after takeoff. The few other people with her in the cabin were trying to keep themselves occupied, some by reading while others listened to the in-flight music. One, the man next to her, had even fallen asleep...and she felt that she was going to do the same. The only reason she forced herself to stay awake was that she was curious to see where they were heading...but due to a thick cloud cover, all she could see was a sea of white.

Her mind began to wander, imagining what this new 'strato-fighter' would look like. Somehow, she thought it would be fairly large in order to be able to have engines powerful enough to keep it flying at those extreme altitudes, not to mention to store oxygen supplies. She couldn't picture it being small and sleek, like the fighter craft her mother had flown...especially since it was only going after large asteroids as opposed to other fighter craft. Still, it was enough to intrigue her and finally made her succumb to the pull towards the military she had been feeling. Her mother hadn't been overly happy. Her mother...

---------------------------

Flashback, after the graduation.

"I'm disappointed in you, Blaze. You know how I feel about you signing up for the Air Force. It's not too late; I'm sure you can---"

"What? Go somewhere else? Mom, I'm twenty years old...I'm an adult, and I can make my own choices."

"Yes, I know, but---"

"But what? You're always trying to decide my future for me! Why are you so down on the Air Force? I know you were in the war, I know you were an elite pilot and saw a lot of death...I know you lost friends. You told me about Chopper, and I learned about your squadron leader when I was ten," Blaze sighed,"And I know you lost dad in the war, before I was born..."

Nagase fell silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful. She looked her daughter square in the eyes, an unreadable expression on her face,"I never did tell you about your father, did I?"

"No, you never did. I never really asked, either, because I knew how painful it was...it is for you to speak of him."

"I was..planning on telling you, eventually...and now I think I should."

Kei turned around, leaving the porch of her house where the discussion had started while motioning Blaze to follow her inside. It had always been a tradion of sorts in the Nagase house to discuss important events or topics at the kitchen table, most often with a mug of hot tea or coffee for each member of the discussion. So when Blaze saw that her mother had simply sat down at the round oak table without first preparing either of the drinks, she knew that it was going to be -very- serious. The only other times her mother hadn't prepared a drink like this was when she had given her daughter 'the talk', and when her grandparents had passed away.

"Please sit down," Kei said, indicating the chair across from her.

Blaze took her seat, resting her arms on the table and staring across at her mother. She had never thought of her mother as being old, but the tired look that seemed to dominate her now had aged her considerably. It was the look of someone that had born too much of a burden during her youth, someone who had seen the very worst the world had to offer. Blaze knew her mother was just such a person.

"Your father...was a pilot, like me. Only he flew better...far better than anyone I've ever seen...but you wouldn't have known it at first," she paused, a brief and amused smile crossing her lips,"When we graduated from the Academy, he wasn't the top pilot in the class. In fact, he'd been fairly average," her smile left her,"I think that saved his life...I went to Sand Island first, along with the first pick of the classes...and he came a little later with a smaller group, reassigned as if on a whim. The day after he arrived and was still getting oriented to the base, my training squadron and two of my instructors were shot down and killed. Hans was with your father's group as well, but after the training squadron got shot down we didn't have enough planes for everyone, and he ended up grounded."

Nagase paused for a moment, letting her words sink in before continuing,"He was up with us a day later...it was Jack, Alvin, your father and I...and that's when we saw how well your father could actually fly. Only Jack could really equal him then. When Jack got shot down, we all knew that your father should lead us into the next battle. Call it a gut instinct we all had, but we felt that if he led us we might just come out of the war alive. Your father was honourable, brave, and had a way of keeping our spirits up even when things looked impossible. He had a strong grip on tactics; he knew when we had to concentrate our firepower, and knew when we'd be better served by splitting up and hunting our own targets down. Most importantly, he did his best to see us come home alive."

Nagase's eyes took on a far away look,"I started to fall for your father after just a handful of missions, even if I was only barely conscious of the feelings growing inside of me. I...when I was shot down, I was so angry with myself. I'd vowed to myself to protect him with all my might...and I felt that I had failed miserably. Things seemed hopeless...I spent my time making sure the Yuktobanian patrols couldn't find the chopper crew that had tried to rescue me, leading them away as well as I could...but the net started closing in, the snow making it easier for the patrols to follow me. I kept telling myself that your father would come for me, even as I felt a pit of despair opening up within me," her eyes refocused, staring once more into her daughters' eyes,"When I heard the roar of a jet engine I looked up...and saw it was him. Moments later, Hans and Alvin where there too...they'd come back for me. I shouted his name into my emergency transmitter...and he circled around and must've signalled the rescue helicopter. It was then I turned the tables on the people hunting me. I ambushed them as they came up the slope and held them prisonner..."

"Mom, this is all really interesting...and I know this story has a point to it, that being trying to make me change my mind...and it's really nice to hear that dad was such a good person..."

"Blaze...remember when they finally released all the classified information concerning the Circum-Pacific war? How the media was on our doorstep, trying to get an interview with me to find out more about my squadron? And how they wanted to know more about the pilot that had crashed his jet into the SOLG to stop it from hitting Oured?"

"Yeah..."

"That pilot was your father. What I'm trying to do...is stop you from making a choice that could cause you the same pain it caused me..."

Blaze looked stunned for a moment, leaning back in her chair with wide eyes,"You mean...you mean my father was the one that...?"

Nagase nodded, lowering her eyes for a moment,"I'm sorry I never told you...I wanted to wait until you were mature enough to understand..."

"Wow...I...I never would have guessed...but mom," Blaze began, leaning forward slightly,"There is no more massive war...there are a few hot zones in the world with high tension, but the governments of the world are cooling them down slowly but surely. There hasn't been a combat-related death in years...you don't have to worry about me..."

"I know that, in my mind...but in my heart I still worry. You are my daughter, and I guess even though you're grown up I still want to protect you..."

"Mom...everyone has to stand up on their own, eventually..."

End Flashback

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The thought still made her head spin. Her father, the famous (or infamous, depending on your view), heroic pilot that lead the squadron the Yuktobanians had dubbed 'Razgriz'. The pilot with the callsign 'Blaze'. At least now she had an idea as to why her mother had given her such a...well, boyish name. Just because she understood, didn't mean she liked it very much.

"Couldn't she have named me Jenny, or Allison?" she mumbled, still watching the clouds below. She felt a sudden dull pain on the back of her head, making her sit up and turn sharply to locate the source.

Behind her, her arm dangling over the seat, was another girl of roughly Blaze's own age. She had short blond hair with purple highlights, predatory green eyes. a smallish but angular nose, and a semi-twisted sneer on her lipstick-less lips. She seemed to be regarding Blaze intensely, as if she was trying to figure something out.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Blaze snarled, reaching a hand up to rub the back of her head where, obviously, she had been flicked.

"Just wanted ta see if your head was hollow or not," the girl returned, a faint accent in her voice...one that sounded almost Belkan,"I don't want someone freakin' out in the air with me, an' with you talkin' to yourself I was wonderin' if I'd have ta chuck ya off the plane to save myself a bit 'o trouble in the future."

The twisted sneer turned into a predatory grin as Blaze grit her teeth. She managed to calm herself, staring the girl squarely in the eyes,"Mind your own business you Belkan bitch. If I want to mumble something to myself, I'll damn well do it."

Now it was the other girls turn to look angry for a moment, before her grin returned and she chuckled,"Better be careful what ya say, princess, or you may lose some of your teeth," the girl leaned back into her seat,"Still, shows you got a little spirit, maybe I can deal with ya in the air after all. Name's Aloisia Amery, I'm from North Osea...or, if you'd rather, South Belka," she said with with a teasing wink.

Blaze calmed down a bit herself, and although she really didn't care for the other girl it would be rude for her not to give her own name,"Nagase Blaze."

Aloisia's eyes seemed to nearly pop out of her head,"Did you say Nagase? As in related to Nagase Kei?"

"Yes, she's my mother..."

"YOUR mother is Nagase Kei? THE Nagase Kei? As in Edge from the Razgriz Squadron?"

"Yes--"

"Wow. That's some legacy you gotta live up to, Blaze."

"I don't remem--"

"I mean, your mother kicked total ass during the last big war, and you're gonna get compared to her at every turn. I really wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

"Would you let me--"

"I can't believe the daughter of Nagase Kei is such a prin--"

"WOULD YOU LET ME SAY SOMETHING?!" Nagase finally shouted, before turning a bit red and looking around. Fortunately, the rest of her fellow recruits on the plane seemed to be distracted by their own activities, and thus didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation. Taking a deep breath, Blaze glared at the other girl,"First, I don't remember giving you permission to use my first name. Secondly, yes my mother was a great pilot, but I don't want to be measured up to her...I want to be judged on my own merits. And finally, I really don't like you so just shut up and leave me alone, alright?"

Aloisia seemed taken aback by the small outburst, but smirked after Nagase had finished speaking,"Alright, have it your way. Like it or not, though, you're gonna have to deal with me in the future, princess," said the punkish girl before she leaned back into her seat. She plugged the provided headphones into the jack on the side of her armrest, tuning into one of the music channels provided on the plane and tuning out the rest of the world.

Blaze grumbled under her breath and returned to staring out the window. She knew the girl was right; sooner or later they'd end up working together. It was something she really wasn't looking forward to. As she started to drift back to her own thoughts which had so suddenly been derailed, she noticed that the jet had started to drop in altitude a bit, indicating that their destination was getting close. Her senses, now alerted to this fact, could feel the slight shift in inertia as the jet gradually descended. Nagase could feel a bit of giddiness return, a slight excitement about finally finding out what the secret destination was.

Judging from the water below, and the fact that they were over the Pacific, she hoped that it would be a tropical destination...sure, they wouldn't have much free time to enjoy it...but a few hours leave to a warm, sunny beach would be nice. And they -had- been instructed to pack sunscreen. Blaze at first thought that it was a bit strange that she wasn't told to pack a swimsuit since they'd no doubt be practicing over-water bailout procedures, but her mother had said that the airforce would likely provide a suit. She knew it wouldn't be very flattering, but Blaze guessed that the purpose of staying at the base wasn't about getting a good tan.

------

Sand.

Lots and lots of sand. Sand surrounded by water. Sand with hangars built onto it, with pavement poured onto it, with several barracks, a large mess hall, and a command building built onto it.

Few trees. No place to really spend off hours.

Just sand.

Blaze groaned inwardly. The island was more like a desert than tropical, and so her small hopes of a beautiful tropical getaway were dashed. She looked around, and noted that a few of her fellow recruits looked a bit disappointed as well, while others simply held a look of exceptance. She discovered, thanks to the line they were now being formed into by some friendly non-coms, that including herself there was thirty-two recruits for this program. Sixteen males, sixteen females...she briefly wondered about the gender lines being split so evenly, but she had little time for contempation as Major Thompson arrived via jeep.

He stepped out of the jeep and stood before the line of recruits so everyone could see him. He was dressed in a standard blue Osea airforce uniform, and despite the heat didn't seem to be sweating in the least. He regarded everyone briefly with a smile, before clearing his throat.

"Good afternoon. As you all know, I am Major Johnathan Thompson, as I'm sure you all know. The base commander has assigned me to welcome you to the base. I'm sure most of you are wondering why we would bring you to such a desolate, isolated place. That's because it's just that; isolated. There is a strict no-fly zone over this area for several hundred miles in every direction, and there is no local civilian population here that could give our secret away," he paused for a moment to take a breath, before continuing,"You may also have noticed that the division between males and females is even...this is purely political, as when the program goes public the politicians want it to be seen as not only being vital for the protection of the planet, but also that it presents an equal opportunity for both genders. Personally," he chuckled a bit,"I'd rather have seen program admittance based on skill, not political needs. Fortunately, you are -all- highly skilled; not one of you was below the top ten in your graduation classes," his face grew serious once more,"You have fourty hours to get settled in, recover from your flight, and relax a bit. Starting the day after tomorrow at oh-six hundred, your training will begin. Sergeant MacCloud," he indicated one of the non-coms that had formed them up. He was a tall man, if a bit thin, with goal black hair and sea grey eyes,"will show the males to their barracks. Sergeant DeBois," he indicated another one of the non-coms, a small brunette with cold green eyes,"will show the females to their barracks. The rooms already have their occupants names on their doors; you will be bunking with someone, so get used to the idea of having a roomate."

Blaze chuckled inwardly at the last part; she hoped that her new roomate wasn't a practical joker like her last one. She missed Ronda, and the two guys, Jerry and Garett already. She briefly wondered what they were up to, before mentally berating herself for losing focus. She brought her thoughts to order just in time to hear the Major continue his greeting speech/instructions.

"You're cleared to go to the mess hall for lunch; I'm sure most of you are hungry, and there's also a lounge area within the hall itself for watching tv or playing pool. Go unpack, and spend some time getting used to your new life," he finished, starting to turn away when he suddenly stopped again,"Oh, and by the way. Welcome to Sand Island."

-----

Disaster.

Utter Disaster.

Of all the things that could have happened, this was possibly the worst aside from crashing.

Everything had been going fine until now; the speech made by the Major was well-received, they'd been swiftly separated into groups based on their gender, and lead to the barracks. The barracks itself was nice, and looked to have been built fairly recently...unlike the older, worn building the boys had been led to. The shower facility was communal, as was standard, and looked to be well-equipped. Even the rooms were nice; in fact, they looked nicer than the one she had had at the Academy...everything was perfect until...

"Heya Princess, looks like you 'an me are gonna be bunkmates!"

Groan.

End Chapter 2.

Author's notes: Short chapter, I know, but I covered everything I wanted to in it. Next chapter will be longer :) Read and review, please!