[X] Vancouver
You hit your radio. "I may have a third option. If we take course-" you do some quick mental map-reading "-three-four-five, I can maybe convince Vancouver center to let us top off and head east from there."
A pause. "If you're sure. Three, Four, opinions?"
"Works for me, provided we don't get splashed by a swarm of angry Hornets." Tallboy deadpans. Ambassador and Beaker chuckle in unison, but voice their assent. Bunny switches back to the escorts' frequency, bringing them up to speed.
"Knight echo, take course three-four-five, we'll relay this to Seattle center." Dusty 45 informs you. You all comply, nudging your planes just a touch to the right.
"Might I ask how you intend to schmooze your way in?" Ghost inquires over intercom. You shrug.
"Figured I'd just ask for landing permission and deal with the red-faced shouty men as they come." you answer easily. Tabby laughs.
"That easy?"
"Not my problem if they just… assume we have permission to be there." You leave out that you're not at all confident of that.
"Knight echo, Dusty four-five, Seattle center has cleared us for three-four-five at angels two-six."
Pulling back gently on the stick, you match the rest of the flight as they begin ascending to 26,000 feet. And wordlessly hope nobody looks too hard at you once you start on approach to Vancouver.
_____
"Alright, Specter. You're up. Don't mess it up, yeah?"
With Gunbunny's threat/request rattling around you brain, you hit your radio. "Vancouver center, Knight five-two, flight of four, checking in. Request approach vector and landing permission."
A lengthy pause - unsurprising, given how much traffic the city's seeing these days - and ATC comes back. "Knight five-two, take heading three-three-five and descend to flight level zero-eight-zero."
"Knight five-two, take head three-three-five and descend to fight level zero-eight-zero, copy." You let out a breath and begin descending - nudging your throttles back to maintain a reasonable speed. "Well, that's step one down."
"Taking bets on how long we'll be in a holding pattern." Beaker comments on the flight's frequency.
"Too damn long." Tallboy deadpans.
Nearly a half-hour later, he's proven right - you're eyeing your fuel gauges when ATC finally calls you - "Knight five-two, turn to heading zero-eight-zero, and cleared to land on runway zero-eight right."
"Knight five-two, heading zero-eight-zero and use runway zero-eight right, copy." you answer, rolling into the turn; the runway visible ahead. Despite your still-considerable load - certainly more than usual, for landing a Superbug - you set down gently, wincing as Bunny drops her own bird onto the tarmac somewhat forcefully.
Some back-and-forth with the controller and some five minutes of taxiing later, the flight pulls to a stop near one of the cargo terminals - you suspect he wasn't quite sure where to put you.
The uniformed man marching towards you, however, probably does - the mid-blue of an RCAF uniform cutting a distinctive profile.
Powering down, you pop the canopy - leaving Ghost to manage post-flights, you sling yourself out of the cockpit and drop to the ground, wincing at the impact. Straightening up, you come to attention reflexively and salute. A quick glance at his epaulettes confirms his rank. "Major." you greet neutrally. "Pilot Markus Kallon, Silver Knight Security."
"Pilot." he replies, returning the salute. "Major Dufresne, Four-Oh-Nine Squadron. Mind telling me what a flight of armed combat planes are doing in a civilian airport?"
"We doubted they'd be willing to let us top up at Cold Lake, sir." you respond, very carefully not smiling. He snorts.
"Fair point." He eyes the drop tanks present on all the fighters. "Ferry run?"
"To somewhere in Massachusetts, yes sir." A glance over your shoulder shows Gunbunny approaching. "Only staying in the Great White North until we can cut south into North Dakota, though."
He gives you a measuring look. "And what makes you think you won't be told to go back south immediately?"
"Major Gage still in Four-Ten, sir?" you inquire. He nods, raising an eyebrow. "Tell him Specter says hello, and that he owes me one for those bottles back in 'seventeen."
The major surveys you and Gunbunny a moment. "Alright, Pilot, I'll relay that. Don't go anywhere."
He strolls off leisurely, and you turn to find Angela looking at you oddly. "What?" you ask, frowning.
"What was that? Didn't hear what you said."
"Calling in favours." you reply mysteriously. "Want me to go harangue someone about fuel?"
"Nah, I'll do it. How long until we hear back?"
"Not sure," you admit. "Depends on how long it takes Major Asshat the Third to get back to me."
She arches a brow. "He didn't seem so bad. Bit pushy, was he?"
"Wrong major. Old fighter-school buddy. Fucker owes me for twnety-odd goddamn bottles of booze I snuck onto base. Never paid me back, and if he doesn't agree to lend us a hand here, I might just fly up to Cold Lake and kick his ass from one end of the runway to the other."
"Sounds like a dick." Bunny mutters, heading off towards the terminal.
_____
"Seems your favour's worth quite a lot, Leftenant Kallon."
You look up from your book - sitting in the cockpit of your bird - and set it down, descending the ladder to talk to Dufresne.
"Ex-leftenant, sir." You grin. "We good, sir, or should we start heading south again?"
"I'm told you're free to navigate, so long as you stay within a hundred fifty klicks of the border, and don't go any further East than the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border." he affirms. "And Major Gage says you owe him one, now."
"Damn right I do." you mutter. "Ta for this, sir, I owe you one as well."
He waves this off. "I'm here as a liason anyways - or, well, will be, once the hippies and Californians get here. Expect to have a flight of Hornets stuck to your tails during transit, though."
You both bid your goodbyes - and after a brief search, find Gunbunny observing the fuelling crew, and relay the news.
"Good to hear. Nicely done." she acknowledges. "But tower says we've got a while until they can get us a departure slot, so we've got some sitting to do."
"Hurry up and wait," you murmur, grinning.
Well, you've got some time. What do?
>[] Head into town - the airport's in Richmond, a bjit south of Vancouver proper, but it's not bad, as far as you know.
>[] Head up to Vancouver proper - it's only, like, ten klicks or so. You can rent a car, or catch a shuttle bus.
>[] Just wait here - no sense in maybe missing your departure time.
Additional/optional vote:
>[] Invite comrade(s)! (Specify. Ghost included automatically.)
>[] Just inform Bunny - you're not feeling like a group outing, right now.
Note: So, fun little fact, I rolled to see how effective your call-in-a-favour would be, and you got a 10 (on a d10). So apparently Lowly Lt. Kallon has some Connections.
And for those interested - the book Specter was reading was Tokyo Ghoul.
