"Into the Orange Sunrise"
LOCATION: MADRID [511TH JFW HOME BASE], HISPANIA
"It's warm…"
A tingle ran down Alices' back as she felt the rays of the sun fall onto her figure, the girl staring out at the aurora painting the clouds in purple and orange. With the mug in one hand and a hip in the other, she marveled at the morning lights from the ground, staring up into the sky while also keeping an eye out for the new arrivals. She wasn't told how they would make it here, but the lion-like girl waited patiently on the tarmac of the flightline, as the early morning milling about of crew chiefs occasionally broke the chittering of the birds, though Alice appeared unfazed.
The sun had risen enough for blue skies to be present, if not barely. It was oddly peaceful, especially given the circumstances which had arisen mere months prior. A moment where one could relax and take in the scenery.
Alices’ sightseeing was interrupted however, with the crackle of her handheld radio rested in her uniform pocket. The voice of a young Joseonite spoke to her.
<< Ma’am, Senior Airman Na, here. Our maintenance team has been studying the schematics you gave us, but the rest of the team wants to know; why did Liberion send us here to maintain an Orussian aircraft? E-3s are way different than Antonovs. >>
The Brittanian let out a sigh, her short hair flowing in the morning winds. She pressed the button with her free hand to transmit back.
<< I’m not the one you should be asking that to, Airman. You should know this. And like it or not, logistics is stretched thin at the moment, so we have to work with what the international community can offer us. Now get back to studying those schematics, you could be saving our asses one day. >>
There was a slight pause.
<< Understood, ma’am. Apologies for the silly question. We’ll get back to it, then! >>
Her hand returned to her hip, as Alice raised her mug and took a sip out of it, closing her eyes and reopening them as she continued staring out into the sky.
“Five minutes out…” she muttered to herself, watching as the various crew chiefs on the flightline rolled out Striker Retaining Units-- the likes of which were designed to safely store Strikers. Said retaining units were also towed out to the runway to launch Witches in the first place, but in this case they were just retrieving them.
Various towing vehicles also lay prepared, prepared to move the Strikers themselves back to these retaining units. With the advent of all these modern jet Strikers, weight was a considerable problem that had to be solved with Striker Landing gear and towing vehicles, for hovering back in was now considered too dangerous.
With narrowed eyes and a sip of her mug, she continued to watch the various multinational Crew Chiefs haul the proper equipment out of the hangars, many performing hand motions and conversing to one another along the way. Soon, the roar of Etherjet engines overhead would overshadow them, as Alice looked to the skies again in search of the first arrival, up at the dark blue, cloudless morning sky.
And so, she waited.