#Single phase inverter
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Harnessing Solar Power for Sustainable Living
In this comprehensive review, we look at the complexities of Sunways phase inverters, their role in the transition to renewable energy, and their impact on sustainable living.
#solar panels#Solar Inverters#Sunways Inverters#8kw inverter#5kw solar inverter#Phase Inverter#Single phase inverter#Three phase inverter#Solar Installation#Solar Products#solar distribution#Solar wholesale#SolarAU
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A custom designed inverter cover recommended for use on Sungrow Inverter Cover - Single Phase RS Series - FCC01-H (2 Colours) inverters. This high quality inverter cover looks great, fits the inverter perfectly and maintains access to the LCD screen.
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SINGLE PHASE SOLAR INVERTER
Microtek Single Phase Solar Inverter 3.6KW-8KW is suitable for small solar off-grid systems or various household loads.
Pure sine wave inverter has high conversion efficiency and stable performance; factory direct sales, welcome to inquire.
Types Of Single Phase Solar Inverter
SUNSHINE 3.6/5.6KW Off Grid Inverter
SUNSHINE is an off-grid inverter from Microtek with MPPT function, which can convert solar energy to the maximum extent; with RGB lighting, it has a gorgeous appearance and has three lighting modes. Its Rated Power is 3.6KW, suitable for small home, RV or outdoor.
SUNSHINE 8KW Off Grid Solar Inverter
SUNSHINE 8KW has two power models, which can meet the needs of most medium and large power equipment. Photovoltaic input, no need to connect to the grid, eliminating the trouble of power failure. Touchable LCD panel design for easy operation.
SUNRISE 4.2/6.2KW Off Grid Inverter
Touch Button and LCD; Wifi Monitor; USB On-the-go Function; Work with or without Battery; Communication port for BMS.
SUNBATH 3.5/5.5KW Off Grid Inverter
With 100A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Built-in; Efficiently Work With or Without Battery; WIFI Function Optional; With Touch Button on the LCD Display.
SUNNY 5KW Off Grid Inverter
The SUNNY series product is an off-grid solar inverter with parallel function. The stable and good parallel operation of the inverter will greatly improve the reliability and capacity of the micro grid system. This model can be connected in parallel with a maximum of 9 inverters.
SUNSEEKER 5KW Hybrid Solar Inverter
Built-in WIFI for Mobile Monitoring(Requires APP); 5KW Work as Off Grid and On Grid; Max. Can Be 9pcs in Parallel With Optional Kit; Compatible with Lithium Battery; High efficiency with or without battery.
SUNSEEKER 6KW Hybrid Solar Inverter
Dual AC&12Vdc Output; With RGB Light; Parallel up to 9pcs optional; Real Hybrid can Feed to Grid; Touch Button and LCD.
SUNSEEKER 8KW Hybrid Solar Inverter
Large Touch LCD Screen; Can Work with LiFPO4; Dual MPPT tracker inside; Parallel up to 6pcs optional; Optional WiFi function.
Single Phase Solar Inverter Manufacturer And Supplier
Microtek Single Phase Solar Inverter, Superior quality, High conversion efficiency
Microtek inverter manufacturers have long been focusing on the R&D, production and sales of solar energy, lithium batteries and UPS. We have developed eight series of products including household, single phase, hybrid, off-grid and MPPT solar inverters, with a power coverage of 3.6-8KW. Welcome to contact us!
How Does Single Phase Solar Inverter Work?
Working principle of Microtek solar inverter The process of converting DC power into AC power is called inverter, the circuit that completes the inverter function is called inverter circuit, and the device that realizes the inverter process is called inverter equipment or inverter device.
The direct function of the inverter is to convert DC power into AC power. The core of the inverter device is the inverter switch circuit, which is referred to as the inverter circuit for short. The circuit completes the inverter function by turning on and off the power electronic switch.he power electronic switch.
Single Phase Solar Inverter FAQs
How many types of solar inverters are there?
There are three types of solar inverters. Single-phase, three-phase and split-phase solar inverters.
What is a single-phase solar inverter?
What is the scope of application of single-phase solar inverters?
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A Guide to Solar Pump Inverters: Its Features and Why Are They Important - Veikong Electric
This ppt guides you why solar pump inverters are important. The 3 phase solar pump inverter consists of three main components; solar panels, a three-phase pump, and a solar pump inverter. A solar pump inverter gets direct current from a solar panel and converts it into alternating current which is used to drive all pumps. Check out this PPT, where we discussed Solar Pump Inverter features and why they are important.
#single phase solar pump inverter#vfd china#Solar frequency inverter#Solar pump inverter#3 phase solar pump inverter
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#Compare solar panels australia#Compare solar panels#three phase solar inverter#single phase inverters#compare solar inverters
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Hello! I’m just here bc I’m a little confused on what you meant by Smythe drawing out “each individual asset” when she was making comics? Now, granted, I can see that it made her file ginormous, but me personally as someone who knows nothing about making online comics but is really wanting to get into it (and also as someone who has a ‘too many layers’ problem myself), is there a way to avoid using too many layers?
My current way of making comics has been to draw the panels individually and then format them (which I know is terrible management wise and also messes with the quality) but I honestly have no other idea of how to do it properly, and seeing how stunning Lore Rekindled looks, I don’t know how you would manage to put all that lighting effects and little details on the same layers. (But also I may be thinking of it wrong so I’ll let you talk qwq)
Ah I can actually give you a visual breakdown of what I meant by that!
So in this you can see there are a TON of layers, and not even all of them are visible because some of them are stuffed into FOLDERS that have been left closed. BUT if you look REEEEALLY carefully-
^^^ These layers right here? That's specifically Minthe from this panel in Episode 61:
(the unique pose here makes it real easy to tell that this is the corresponding panel, you can see the matching body shape with the dark shading that's clipped to the base layer below it!)
So what this means is that Rachel didn't draw all her characters on one base layer, she drew every single character in every single panel separately. Now of course, she could merge all these layers together as working on separate layers helps make it easier to work on elements that collide separately (like one character being 'underneath' another character like Hades is here) but because she has all of those clipping layers with the shading already added in, she likely didn't merge them afterwards because that would actually create MORE problems (because if she merged the Minthe layer in with Hades, then the shading for Minthe that she painted outside of the lines would show up on Hades and then she'd have to erase it which is just a bunch of extra work).
You can also tell all these characters are on their own layer because the layer thumbnail EXCLUSIVELY shows those characters. A layer will show as much canvas length as it needs to cover what's in that layer, so if the thumbnail is only showing one character, that means there's NOTHING ELSE on that layer. If there were more elements on this layer than just Minthe, the layer thumbnail would look more like this:
Now let's compare it to Rekindled's layers! I'll use a completed page to make it fair as we use a lot of extra layers in the post-production phase where we add the texture effects and glow and all that fun stuff, plus I'll even make it a more complicated page like that big nymph explanation spread from Episode 51:
So I'll break it down to make this make more sense:
BG 2 Copy (technically this is supposed to be BG 1) - Basically the panel shapes, what I'll do is mark out the panels with flat blocks and through that we'll add background elements in a clipping layer (usually done by Banshriek). Often times they'll do multiple layers to make the process easier and then merge them all together in the end. With these shapes operating as panels, it means I can just auto select the whole layer, invert the selection, and easily erase whatever's outside of it (such as the lineart and base colors that I put down afterwards). I could just use masking layers like I did in [AFTERBIRTH] but I find this way works better for the process of making Rekindled.
BG 2 - This is where we add objects / foreground elements. So stuff like furniture, interactables, anything that needs to be kept separate from the larger background to make it easier to work with. This can also include "floating" panels that need to be above other panels, such as this:
All of the backgrounds are then nested in a folder for organization purposes (we also sometimes use clipping layers on top of those folders to apply extra effects over anything contained within that folder without affecting other folders, that's a common technique that Banshriek applies)
Then we get into our Characters folder:
BASE - This is where I do the majority of my work, all the characters in every panel on a page are flatted into this layer. Sometimes I do have to create separate layers to, again, make it easier to work with overlapping characters, but usually those layers will be merged before I go into the shading process. I simply shade on a single layer by using the lasso / magic wand tool to select my area for painting, the flat colors make it really easy to do that. Sometimes I need to create a secondary shading layer if I've put down dark colors that start to bleed into the lighter colors, but again, I merge when I'm done into a single shading layer. We also sometimes employ an Add (Glow) layer into the clipping set if we need a glow effect that's exclusive to the characters and doesn't travel outside of their base colors.
There's a (leaves) layer here that I used for the dryad because I needed the leaves to be above the base layer, after that I selected the leaves elements so that I could erase the lineart in the layer above it where needed.
LINEART - It's lineart, enough said haha That said, I do think Rachel actually uses clipping layers for her lineart in places, it seems to be visible in some of her process videos where you can see the lineart present in a clipping layer, and that would explain why there are panels where the lineart suddenly 'cuts off' and doesn't travel outside of the base layer, like so:
GLOW - This is where we do an Add (Glow) layer that isn't restricted to the base layer, it's where we add all the fun lil' glow and sparkle effects over the characters !
The CLOUDS layer is, like the leaves, a background element that needs to be above the base layers rather than constricted to the background.
Above the Characters folder you can see what I mentioned earlier where Banshriek has added more post-production effects that are exclusively clipped to the contents of the Characters folder. This means the effects / blend modes do NOT affect the background layers or anything above it.
The BLUR (Overlay) layer is something we just started doing over the past several episodes, it's a technique I actually picked up from 66 of City of Blank where I merge all the layers into a new visible layer which I then apply a Gaussian Blur to at around 60% and then set to Overlay (and then I adjust the layer opacity until it looks right, usually around 25-35%), it gives it a bit of a softer "dreamier" vibe in the final colors and really helps unify everything!
CANVAS - This is an Overlay layer which is also set to an opacity of 25-35% where I go over the panels with the Add Canvas brush from the Kyle Webster set, unlike the Canvas overlay texture in CSP I can actually choose the colors I want to use which means I can match the canvas texture color to the mood and environment of the scene (ex. I'll use a very light blue for scenes in the Underworld). Not only does it give it that signature texture from S1 of LO, but it also helps balance out the effects of the BLUR layer.
The SKETCH layer sits on top of everything and gets turned off once all the base layers and lineart are down, and ofc the SPEECH folder is just where all the text is kept.
I know everything I just laid out is a LOT but ultimately it's how we operate, it works for us! But it also begs the question of why Rachel operates the way she does because a lot of it seems extremely unnecessary and more likely to bite her in the ass (the more layers there are, the bigger your file size gets, the risk of drawing on the wrong layer increases as well as the risk of posting a panel that's missing elements because the layer was left turned off by mistake, etc.) And it's more so concerning with how she operates with her assistants because if she's still using this many layers when collaborating with other people, hooo boy. Though based on what I've observed of what her assistants contribute, I get a lot more of the sense that she circumvents this by having the artists do the flats separately and then importing them in as separate assets that she then just imports into the page and places them where they need to be. Still not a great workflow IMO because it's what's led to a lot of the issues of characters "floating" rather than feeling like they're actually in the environment-
-but that's still an issue that could be solved by Rachel just taking more time to actually flesh out the backgrounds and lighting to give more of an impression of the characters actually existing in the space. Like that Hestia panel could easily be fixed by just giving the background a bit more detail and putting actual shading underneath her (and lighting from whatever direction it's coming from).
Either way, regardless of whether or not Rachel's process is productive or not, I hope that breakdown helps explain how we do it in Rekindled! Learning how to manage layers is definitely a skill that can be tricky to harness, but once it "clicks" there's a lot you can get away with. Ultimately how you do it is up to you, but my best piece of advice to offer is to just be open to other types of workflows because you don't know how much you might be shooting yourself in the foot doing things the hard way when there are often way easier and more efficient ways to get the same job done. That's basically the vibe I get from observing Rachel's workflow, it seems like she's still using methods that she thinks are working for her (and probably did work just fine for her when it was JUST her) but could be vastly improved for her and her team if she'd just get over the initial hump of stepping outside of her comfort zone. Would probably make for a better comic too LOL
I hope that helps! Good luck! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡
#ask me anything#ama#anon ama#anon ask me anything#lore olympus critical#anti lore olympus#lo critical#lore rekindled#webcomic advice
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So before the next chapter translation/recap drops, I wanted to ask what you think of Bakugo very likely being AFO's final opponent? I didn't really see that coming. The rival is always there, but they usually team up with the MC for the final fight or aren't part of it (Vegeta during all the DBZ saga final villains, Sasuke at the end of Shipuuden). AFO isn't even Bakugo's personal villain, like Dabi is Todoroki's and Himiko is Uraraka's. I'm trying to wrap my head around it so it's more satisfying, but while it's REALLY AWESOME, I'm not feeling the *personal* stakes and ngl I spent half the time wondering if Deku would swoop in. I'm guessing he won't, final battle Shigaraki vs Deku, but yeah.
I think it's an interesting subversion of the usual final boss tropes. it's true that AFO and Bakugou don't have much in the way of personal history. they lack the tragic family ties of Dabi and Shouto, or the frequent homoerotic encounters of Toga and Ochako. Horikoshi clearly went a different route here.
that being said, there are a few things I do like about the setup. first, I really like that Bakugou chose Kid For One to be his final villain (and then inverted things on top of that -- you're not my final boss, I'm your final boss, lol). it's very much in line with his usual stubbornness and singlemindedness. everyone else -- Izuku, Shouto, and Ochako -- were sort of unwillingly dragged into their conflicts by fate. but Bakugou wanted a final boss so much that when life didn't conveniently hand him one, he went out and DEMANDED one. literally DIYed his own. that's the most Bakugou thing ever tbh.
second, I like the recurring theme of AFO creating his own demons. he's so powerful that the only thing that can bring him down is his own hubris. he accidentally created OFA by trying to dominate his baby brother. he tormented the OFA users for centuries only to be mutilated by a royally pissed-off All Might. and he has been snidely dismissive of Bakugou on multiple occasions throughout the manga, which is certainly looking like one hell of a mistake right now. not just because he missed the opportunity to kill him off on earlier occasions, but also because we all know that the more you ignore Kacchan, the more determined he is to prove you wrong.
third, I like that AFO is the one who apparently has personal trauma and not the other way around. even if the extent of his trauma is just, "you look like the guy I really hate!!", lol. it's unexpected and mildly amusing and I enjoy it.
and lastly, while I'm probably not super qualified to weigh in on this (seeing as there's a big chunk of the Deku vs. Tomura/AFO fight which I still haven't read yet, so I don't know how much ground has been covered already), I'm not so sure that this is the actual final battle. as you mentioned, those usually involve the rival teaming up with the MC against a single final villain. and neither Tomura nor Kid For One is giving me genuine final boss vibes tbh. I think AFO, and not Tomura, will be the final "final boss", but I'm guessing it will be a different version of AFO. either the AFO currently taking up residence in Tomura's head, or, potentially, the one possibly hanging out in Deku's.
either way though, that also means the final phase of this battle will likely take place not in the real world, but inside the OFA/AFO Mojo Dojo Casa Realm. and I think it will be Deku, Katsuki (since I'm convinced he also has OFA), and Tomura (plot twist) united against AFO. which I think would make for a much stronger final battle than the current setup. we were promised an ending which would surpass Heroes Rising in epicness, after all. a simple Deku vs. Tomura would hardly cut it, especially with Deku having already pushed himself to his limits and revealed all of his current OFA tricks that we know about. gotta be more to it.
so yeah, those are my thoughts. I'm enjoying the current antics, but I do think they are miniboss antics and not final boss ones. any finale that doesn't involve multiple OFA users teaming up against a single AFO wielder is going to feel a bit like it missed the point. it's literally in the name, lol. we need the "all" versus the "one", or else all that foreshadowing goes to waste. that's my hope at any rate.
#bakugou katsuki#all for one#bnha meta#bakugou meta#bnha#boku no hero academia#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha manga spoilers#makeste reads bnha#asks#anon asks
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The Imperial Phase
“Left to My Own Devices” (1988)
Pet Shop Boys
Parlophone / EMI Records
(Written by Tennant / Lowe)
Highest U.S. Billboard Chart Position – No. 84
I was faced with a choice at a difficult age
Would I write a book?
Or should I take to the stage?
But in the back of my head I heard distant feet
Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat
- from “Left to My Own Devices”
“We had been so disciplined at making four-minute pop singles, with the exception of "It's a Sin", which is five minutes. The idea was to have an album where every track was a single
- Pet Shop Boys on the idea behind Introspective
I used to joke with a friend that the two albums in Pet Shop Boys catalog that sat next to one another could have swapped their titles: Introspective (1988) could have been titled Behaviour (1990), and vice versa. Introspection is from the Latin (“to look within”), and I guess this kind of works; an album titled Self Referential would not be nearly as catchy, if more accurate. Oddly, I always thought of introspection as being related to looking backwards, like nostalgia; in the case of the Pet Shop Boys it is perhaps just a case of inverse-ness (gay people were once called inverts), or even a thoughtful kind of literal thinking. But who knows, they could have just pulled the title out of a bag. The duo was never averse to fashion.
The album (if you are unware) consists of six extended tracks, and unlike the quote above, only 4 of them were released as singles, “Domino Dancing”, “Devices”, “Always on My Mind” (which preceded the record and was presented in a much different version), and “It’s Alright”. “It’s Alright” and “Always on My Mind” are covers, “I Want a Dog” and “I’m Not Scared” are recycled cuts, so the album only contained two original songs, “Domino Dancing” (a huge hit all over the world) and “Devices” (an even bigger hit in the UK, but not in the US). Like the EP Disco, an earlier collection of 6 extended cuts, it treated the form with respect, but also expanded the idea of what a proper album could be. To my mind it is easily one of their very best, most original, and certainly most popular (internationally it is their best seller ever). I love every track (with a small mark off for “It’s Alright”, which does grow a little tedious), but none as much as “Left to My Own Devices”, which is formally audacious and endlessly, thrillingly queer from a gay male perspective.
I was faced with a choice at a difficult age
Would I write a book?
Or should I take to the stage?
Back to the idea of introspection, most young gay men have an intense inner life, and we of a certain generation (coming of age in the 1970s and 1980s) were forced to find our culture on our own. “Left to My Own Devices” is a catalogue of the thoughts and ideas that might roam around in a bachelor’s world. One of the slyer things about the song is that most of it is spoken word. Here we find Neil rapping (again!) but instead of trying to create the beat the effect is more like reportage than singing. The lyrics, as usual, are a collage of ideas carefully cut and pasted to create an atmosphere of bourgeois dandyism (“I phone up a friend who’s a party animal”, “we’ll do some shopping”)—I mean, there is a lot of tea drinking in these lyrics, and I can never be sure that this is either very gay, very British, or both. I think the Pet Shop Boys, song to song, are generally more in search of a tone where content is concerned, and I also think that tone is always meant to elude you a bit. As long as you are dancing I don’t think they care what you think, and one sure thing about Introspective is that this certainly is a dance record, and not well understood as one of the most purchased and successful House records ever made, and if you are ever in any doubt of that, please focus on the opening of “Left to My Own Devices”, where they employed an actual opera singer (Sally Bradshaw) to sing the word “house” over and over again as if it were an aria.
All of this can be seen as sardonic (their infamous “irony”) but I always prefer to think of it as sophistication; at the very least, Pet Shop Boys take their ideas and music seriously. If you read my blog post on Chic’s “Good Times” you can easily understand the courage of performing this style of music in earnest in a world of the backlash that “Disco Sucks” created, which effectively took the bubbles out the late 70s, forced an entire world of music underground, and ironically exploded the genre into many different forms, some of which this record preserves. There is a level of irony abounding in “Left to My Own Devices”; aside from the gay thing, perhaps that subversiveness is built into the genre of disco music itself. The track did not really chart in the US outside of the clubs, but that hardly mattered: one could really enjoy Introspective as a gestalt, one long thought, or even one long track. Whenever I find that I have an itch to listen to the album it is inevitably for the opening of “Devices”, where amidst a full symphony Neil opens with “I get out of bed at half past ten” and then proceeds to take you on a long ride describing a mundane day conducted by the best producers and mixers in the world. It is the transformation of the mundane into the extraordinary, and also the testament of an inner life revealed. In contrast to the general success of the album, perhaps “Left to My Own Devices” is the real innovation of the 6 tracks; it may not be the most American, or the most well-known, but being an invert myself, I must say: I rather like it that way. Is it an irony that a disco record can make one feel seen? Maybe not. To some of us, hiding in plain sight just comes naturally.
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Behaviour (1990).
Tennant later regretted the release of Introspective so soon after the previous album, Actually, feeling that it pigeon-holed them as a dance act. The melancholy follow-up, Behaviour, generally considered to be their finest achievement, was a relative failure.
I was surprised to learn that “The imperial phase” was actually put into the vernacular by Neil Tennant. The imperial phase is the period in which a musical artist is regarded to be at their commercial and creative peak simultaneously, and was coined to describe the group's feelings on their career circa "Domino Dancing" (1988). Critic Tom Ewing described three criteria for defining an artist's imperial phase as "command, permission, and self-definition".
It was genius producer Trevor Horn who came up with the line “Debussy to a disco beat” tossing it off while laying down a track. Tennant, ever the historian, collaged it into the song, and gave Horn a writing credit on the b-side “The Sound of the Atom Splitting” as compensation.
Apparently, Neil Tennant’s mother was upset at hearing him sing “I was a lonely boy, no strength, no joy, in a world of my own” but it seems that this is just a character he was play acting: he apparently had a happy childhood.
"In a secret life I was a Roundhead general" – [In British history] the "Roundheads" were the pro-Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War of the mid-1600s. The name "Roundheads" came from the fact that they generally wore their hair trimmed short, unlike their opponents, the long-haired "Cavaliers" who supported King Charles I. (And in case you're not up on your British history, Charles I was ultimately defeated, deposed, and beheaded.) Again, Neil has pointed out that, as a child, he himself would actually have been far more sympathetic to the Cavaliers (in contrast to his more anti-royalist sympathies as an adult).
- (Directly quoted from geowayne.com)
Pet Shop Boys are still recording. Nonetheless, the Boys 15th studio album, was released April 26th, 2024 to near universal praise.
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This post was written using analog techniques to collate facts. After deciding on a topic, one Wikipedia entry will naturally suggest another, and then I let those concepts create an environment of creative association rather than mere fact finding. I do cross reference sources to find what is most interesting. While some small details may be disputable, none is used for any other reason than to open up the idea at hand, and to support the belief that most pop songs are indeed works of art, with the great ones renewing themselves endlessly.
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Living Up To The Legacy ✈️ | Top Gun Maverick Series P.4
Contains major spoilers for TGM
Catch up on the series here -> Series Masterlist
Characters & Pairings: Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Barbara ‘Legacy’ Mitchell (past/eventual romance), Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell x daughter!OC (platonic), Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin (platonic), Lt. Robert ‘Bob’ Floy (platonic), Lt. Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace (platonic), pretty much the rest of the characters are platonic.
Content Warnings: Character Death (Iceman), profanity, major angst, anxiety, light fluff | Female OC (she/her) | wc: 10.8k
Premise: Phase two of the high risk mission has the Top Gun candidates pushing themselves to the limit. Literally. For Barbara Mitchell, the heat is rising not just in the pressure to prove herself but also the battle against feelings for her ex-husband, Rooster. And when two accidents occur plus the loss of a beloved family friend resulting in Maverick being grounded, Barbara finds herself in the fight of her life to prove the mission can be done. Even if it means risking everything she’s worked for in her nearly decade of service.
Note: more than 50% done 🥺 this one was fun to write. I was going to add another scene but will save it for the next chapter. Please don’t hate me for the ending, I’ve got stuff planned.
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“Good morning,” Warlock greeted the pilots as they settled in their seats. After having a fun break the previous day, they were back to business. “The uranium enrichment plant that is your target will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days time,” Barbara felt the air catch in her throat at the news. Around her the others tensed as Warlock continued, “As a result, your mission has been moved up one week in order to avoid contaminating the target valley with radiation.”
“Sir, no one here has successfully flown a low-level course,” Coyote points out the obvious.
“Nevertheless, you’ve been ordered to move on.” Many lean back in their chairs at the sound of that. “Captain.” Switching places with Warlock, Maverick takes to the center.
“We have one week left to focus on phase two. It’s the most difficult stage of the mission. It’s a pop-up strike with a steep dive, requiring nothing less than two consecutive miracles,” Maverick lifts to fingers to emphasize, the screen behind him depicting a simulation of a mountain. “Two pairs of F-18s will fly in a welded wing formation. Teamwork. Precise coordination of these aircraft is essential to both the mission’s success and your survival.”
As he breaks down the plan, a blue plane comes into view and follows the white dotted line, “As you know, the plant rests between two mountains. On final approach, you’ll invert directly into a steep dive. This allows you to maintain the lowest possible altitude and the only possible attack angle. Your target is an impact point less than three meters wide,” Barbara clicks her pen nervously. The sound of that did not look good. “The two-seat aircraft will paint the target with a laser bull’s-eye. The first pair will breach the reactor by dropping a laser-guided bomb on an exposed ventilation hatch. This will create an opening for the second pair,” Mav raises a single finger, ending with, “That’s miracle number one.”
He then breaks down the second half, “the second team will deliver the kill shot, and destroy the target. That’s miracle number two,” when Mav raises two fingers, Barbara notices Rooster tilt his head so she could see his side profile, like he was trying to look at her. She shakes her head, knowing he’d see the gesture and the pilot sniffs before readjusting his position. “If either team misses the target, the mission is a failure. Egress is a steep high-G climb out to avoid hitting this mountain.”
Hangman cuts in when Maverick pauses, “A steep climb at the speed, you’re pulling at least eight G’s.”
“Nine, minimum,” the Captain corrects to which Rooster comments, “The stress limit of the F-18’s airframe is seven-point-five.”
“That is the accepted limit. To survive this mission, you’ll pull beyond that, even if it means bending your airframe,” at this Cyclone makes a face, not liking what he was hearing. “You’ll be pulling so hard you’ll weigh close to two-thousand pounds, your skull crushing your spine. Your lungs imploding like an elephant’s sitting on your chest, fighting with everything you have just to keep from blacking out. And this is where you’ll be at your most vulnerable.” Maverick faces the group, “This is Coffin Corner.” What a name to call an impending death on an already Hellstorm of a mission. Barbara put a finger to her lip, shutting her eyes when the planes on the simulator crossed into enemy radar.
“Assuming you avoid crashing into this mountain, you’ll climb straight up into enemy radar while losing all of your airspeed. Within seconds you’ll be fired upon by enemy SAMs. You’ve all faced sustained G’s before, but this—this is gonna take you and your aircraft to the breaking point.”
“Sir,” Phoenix politely gets his attention and asks the million dollar question. “Is this even achievable?” From what the simulator was showing, it was far from it.
Maverick steps to her, arms going behind his back, “The answer to that question will come down to the pilot in the box.” Soon they are dismissed and Barbara heads to the locker room to get her gear on with Phoenix and Halo.
“I don’t feel good about this,” Halo says when they finish up, clasping her final restraint. The two women murmur in agreement, Barbara putting at least one cigarette behind her left ear and match behind the right before throwing the tin in her locker.
“Shit’s insane.”
“I’ll say,” Phoenix shuts her locker and leans against it. “Who’re you with today, C?” Judging by the look on Barbara’s face, it appeared she was not pleased with the day's test run line up.
“Fanboy, Payback, Harvard, Yale… and Rooster.” Halo whistles and Phoenix clicks her tongue. “Yeah, I know.” They finish up and all head out to their jets for pre-checks. Once complete, they bid Barbara good luck and leave for the lounge while Barb stays on the tarmac. She took a moment to herself, letting her thoughts linger before climbing into her F-18. For the exercise she was to be the team leader.
The nerves got stronger once they were in the air, the pilot having to take a deep breath as they stayed steady 300 feet above the ground. “Talk to me, Harvard. What’s the time?”
“We are on schedule, Legacy. Time to pop up in t minus thirty second.”
“Copy, Fanboy?”
“We are five seconds behind. Rooster, we’re falling back.”
“C’mon, Rooster,” she says, keeping her hand tight on the handle. “Move it or lose it.”
“Copy, increasing speed.”
“Harvard, check that laser for me will you.” He relays back several numbers, indicating the laser was ready to go. Her heart picked up as they approached the pop-up point. “Yale, prepare for pop up in three…two..one, now!” With a grunt she yanks the stick back and soars into the sky. Maneuvering the jet into the inverted dive, Barbara quickly gets upright after falling into the step dive. “Where’s that laser, Harvard.”
“Stand by, Legacy,” he says then seconds later calls out, “got it!” It locked on her screen, but Barbara cursed in her head, feeling that it was going to miss since it took him a bit to capture it. They were too low from what the dropping point should have been.
“Target acquired, bombs away!” She hits the button to release the mock missile and yanks the stick once more. They were now in the high-G steep climb, but level out when Harvard announced they missed the target. “Dammit!” The force of the G-s had Barbara breathing heavily for the few seconds they ascended. They pushed about 5 in that run.
Rooster shouts the same phase moments later when he too misses the target. “Head back to base. We’ll go again after the others.” They all copy and break off with Legacy, Harvard, and Yale going left while Payback, Fanboy, and Rooster go right. Legacy is the first to land, taxi off the airway just in time for Harvard and Yale to arrive.
Exiting the jet, Barbara heads off the tarmac to take her usual smoke break and runs into Halo, Phoenix, and Bob. “How’d it go?” Bob asks when she comes to a stop in front of them. Removing the cigarette and match from her pocket with a shake of the head, “intense. I had to level out before hitting six G’s. Couldn’t take it once Harvard said we missed the target.”
They all grimaced, sending worried looks to each other. Phoenix lets out a sigh, “I hear Mav is probably gonna just break us off into duos tomorrow, and once we master that try the two sets of pairs again.” The news has Barbara making a sound of relief, “Thank God.” Wishing the three good luck, she passes them to leave and takes her break before going to the lounge where she is met with the five men she’d just flown with. “Gentlemen,” she greets, sitting on one of the couches opposite Payback and Rooster.
“Not bad up there, C,” Fanboy compliments her from his spot against the window. She smiles in return, voicing the same to the WSO. They don’t do much to pass the time, however Fanboy and Payback do challenge her to a game of foosball. At times Barbara felt like eyes were on her, and did her best not to react.
She always knew when Rooster’s eyes were on her.
When she caught his gaze he was quick to look away, making a movement to wipe his face as though something was on it. Biting back a smirk, Barbara turns her back to him though could still feel the heat emitting within her. She tried to focus on the communications from the others as they came through the radio, but was having trouble as the same thoughts from the previous night made their way into her mind.
Fuck how was she gonna make it through another week when she was starting to feel like a school girl having a crush for the very first time. It was her ex-husband for God’s sake.
After another run that afternoon, this time with Rooster as team leader and missing the target once more, the pilots were dismissed for the day. Thankfully no one stopped her on her way out. It was becoming a habit each night for someone to catch her whether it be Rooster, her father, Phoenix, or even Hangman. But Jake learned the hard way to not mess with Barbara when she purposely hit the gas on her bike and nearly ran over his foot.
That night in the comfort of her own home, Barbara made a call to the one person she hadn’t spoken two since she got the detachment. Her mother, Charlie.
“Sounds like you have a lot on your plate,” Charlie chuckles, voice echoing from the speaker while Barbara nurses a glass of wine in her kitchen. She was going over the parameters of the mission, committing it to memory while also giving her mother an update on the past several days. “How do you feel overall about the mission, Barb?”
She clicks her fingernails against the glass with a sigh, “I really don’t know, mom. The others and I have talked about it in passing and we all agree it seems impossible. To be honest, the only person who I believe could actually pull it off is Pete.” It was the wholehearted truth. Only her father was capable in her eyes, but this job required a team. And they had a lot of work to do before developing one.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. Your father has always lived life on the edge,” Barbara makes a sound of agreement, “speaking of him, how are things? You don’t seem to be so….angry when talking about him.”
Biting her lip, Barbara takes a second to think of a reply. There was still tension between her and Pete, but she wouldn’t deny there had been a lift of resentment. But that could easily slip if he started to treat her differently. Not to mention not picking her for the mission solely because she was his daughter.
“It’s….complicated. All of my anger was on him the past couple years to shift the blame off myself. Every time I thought about him, It would just reignite everything I tried to bury in the past,” she takes a pause, refilling her wine glass. “This past week has had me thinking and letting go of a lot—mostly the stuff when I was kid. But….” The words fall flat, the woman unsure of what to say.
“But?” Charlie asks, causing Barbara to drop her head between her shoulders.
“I don’t think he and I will ever have a normal father-daughter relationship. We’ve tried in the past, it’s never worked. Ever since I was a kid it’s been rocky and when we seem to fix one thing, something happens that screws it up. First my college career, then my military career, and most recently my marriage. And honestly, mom, I can’t bring myself to get my hopes up because there’s a chance he won’t pick me for this mission even if I’m qualified. Do I have a lot to work on? Yes, this detachment is pushing me to the breaking point,” she takes a breath, pausing in her rant before ending with, “He promised he won’t wash me out…but Pete Mitchell is going to do what he wants.”
There’s silence over the phone, the older woman processing her daughter’s words. Barbara takes the moment to rub her hands over her face, “I don’t think I could forgive him if he did, mom.”
“No one is telling you you have to, Barbara,” Charlie says softly. “Your father and I know you are an exceptional pilot—although I do hate that you took on his way of not going by the book,” the comment makes Barbara laugh. “My point is, Pete will choose the candidates he’s fit to take on a mission as big as this. You work hard, you stay in line, and show him you can do it and there’s no doubt he will pick you. But…on another note, you have to understand his point of view, Barbara.”
Immediately Barbara squeezed her eyes shut, knowing what Charlie was on to. She was prepared for this conversation, but it still had her gripping her forearms rightly as they rested on the counter. “He’s a father, you’re his daughter. You may be the best fighter pilot the world has ever seen, but to him you’ll always be his baby girl. I know he had a lot to work on when you were young, but Pete tried his best. It wasn’t always good at times but nonetheless he would always call me just to ask about you. From what you’ve told me about this mission, someone could likely not come home. How do you think it affects him with the only two options ending with him most likely losing you?”
Barbara felt a wave of emotion at the crack in her mom’s voice at the mention of her likely dying. It put into perspective for the thirty-year old that this was not just any job for Maverick. It was personal. These were people's lives at stake. Their families would be the ones to endure the pain and lose if they didn’t make it. And Rooster was in the same category as her because Mav saw him as a son. Everything that could come out as a result of Maverick’s decision would be an end to whatever strain he wanted to erase between him and Rooster.
“I know,” she sighs, silently wishing that things could be different. But unfortunately the universe worked in mysterious ways. “I know. Not an easy choice.”
For the next two days they continued to work on phase two. During this time Barbara came very close to the target, the closest she’s been, working with Phoenix and Bob. It was decided after the first day of phase two training they would split the pairs up before coming back together in full formation. Though Barbara did well with the other foxtrot teams, it still didn’t come close to how natural it felt with Phoenix and Bob watching her back. If she were picked in the end, she hoped they’d be paired together.
It was approaching the end of the day and Barbara was settled in the lounge after running the course with Payback and Fanboy. Halo was flipping through one of the magazines beside her and they made small talk to pass time. Phoenix, Bob, and Coyote were in the air.
“Talk to me, Bob,” her voice comes through the speaker.
“We are twelve seconds late on target. We gotta move! We gotta move!”
“Copy. Try to stay with me,” Coyote replies. Suddenly Bob’s tone becomes confused, “Huh? Wait, who’s that?” The question made Barbara click her tongue. She should’ve known Mav would make it more real by acting as a bandit. “Blue team, you’ve been spotted.”
“Shit, It’s Maverick.”
“What the hell is he doing here?”
“I’m a bandit on course to intercept. Blue team, what are you gonna do?” Barbara hadn’t realized she moved from the couch to a chair in front of the radio, bringing an elbow up to rest on the surface.
“He’s twenty miles left. Ten o’clock. 700 knots closure,” Bob relayed, to which Coyote said, “Your call. What do you want to do?”
“Continue,” Phoenix replied, “We’re close. Stay on target.”
“He’s swinging around to the north!”
“Standby for pop-up.”
“Be ready on that laser, Bob.”
“Copy. I’m on it.”
“Blue team, bandit is still closing,” Mav warned.
“Popping now!” Coyote shouts and soon the three aviators are grunting and breathing heavily as they ascend. “Talk to me, Bob. Where’s Maverick?”
“He’s five miles out. He’s coming fast.”
“Target’s in sight.”
“Where’s my laser, Bob?”
“Deadeye! Deadeye! It’s no good,” Bob says with disappointment. “Sorry, I can’t get a lock.”
“We’re out of time, I’m dropping blind.” Seconds later Coyote calls out, “Damn it, missed!” Once again grunts could be heard from the speaker as the pilots began their high-G climb.
“That’s tone,” Maverick suddenly says, indicating he locked on someone. Bob confirms it, “Maverick’s got missile lock on us.”
“Shit! We’re dead,” Phoenix curses.
“Blue team, that’s a fail. Level out, Coyote.” When Coyote doesn’t copy, Barbara feels her stomach drop. “Coyote? Do you copy?….Coyote, come in.” There’s still silence from the pilot, calling the attention of everyone in the room. “Coyote, level wings.”
“Oh no,” Barbara whispers, hand coming to her mouth. Beside her Fanboy and Rooster stiffen, the others exchange looks of worry when Maverick gasps, “Oh, God. He’s in G-LOC.”
“Coyote? Coyote?”
“He’s gonna burn in!” Phoenix shouts and the anxiety rises in the group. Maverick then says, “I’m going after him.” Barbara’s knuckles were practically white from how hard she was gripping her the edge of the counter. “Come on. Give me tone, give me tone, give me tone. Snap out of it, Coyote. Come on! Come on!”
“Oh my God,” Barbara squeezes her eyes shut. Never had she heard her father sound so frightened in his life.
“Come on, Coyote. Come on. Come on!” Her heart picks up, beating like it was about to burst from her chest. “Damn it! Coyote! Coyote! Coyote! COYOTE!” There’s a familiar gasp of air and it goes silent. In sync everyone waits and is met with eminent relief when Maverick goes, “Coyote, you okay? You okay?”
The pilot is breathing heavily into his mask, shaken by the experience, “I’m okay. I’m good.”
“Good. Good,” Mav repeats with relief. “That’s enough for today.” On the other end of the table, Jake pats his hand against the counter, expression unreadable. But Barbara could see the tension behind his eyes. Like everyone else, the Lieutenant was fearful for his friend and thought he was about to witness his death.
“That was close,” Phoenix says what they were all thinking.
Maverick sighs again, “Too close.” What they thought would be the end of the chaos, was only the beginning. Because seconds later Maverick is shouting, “Bird strike! Bird strike!” They were all well aware of how dangerous a bird strike could be. It could cause damage to the plane and take out equipment if they weren’t careful.
And that played out before their ears because after Phoenix calls out the strike, Bob is yelling, “Phoenix, left engine’s on fire!”
“Climbing,” she shouts, and Barbara became almost nauseated by the overwhelming emotion she was feeling. “Throttling back. Shutting off fuel to left engine. Extinguishing fire.”
“Right engine is out!”
“It’s still spinning. Trying to restart it.” Immediately Barbara is out of her chair, causing the pilots around her to flinch at the action. She doesn’t care. The woman is practically yelling at the speaker. “No, no! Don't do that—It’s still on fire!” Maverick must’ve seen it too from his position because he was repeating what Barbara was saying, “Phoenix, it’s on fire. Don’t start—.”
“Throttling up.” The dread swarms Barbara as her friend fails to listen. Part of her couldn’t blame Phoenix. If the roles were reversed, who knows what she would’ve done.
“Oh my God,” Mavericks voice sent chills through her body. Without realizing it, Barbara’s hand reaches back to catch Rooster’s. Both of them squeezing despite the intense heat from the touch.
“We’re on fire! We’re on fire!”
“Damn it! Extinguishing right engine!”
“Phoenix, Bob, punch out, punch out!” Mav yells, and Barbara feels her body start to shake. The anxiety became too much at what she was hearing. It was every pilot's worst nightmare.
“Warning lights everywhere! Hydraulic failure!”
“I can’t control it!” Phoenix screams.
“We’re going down, Phoenix! We’re going in! We’re going in!” Bob's screams have tears prickling in Barbara’s eyes. Though they hadn’t known each other long she had grown to care for him. The fear in his voice was absolutely chilling that it had some of the pilots back away from the speaker. Hangman and Payback had their hands in their hair. Halo had her head down in a silent prayer. Fanboy was gripping the back of the chair Barbara had sat on.
And Barbara? She was squeezing the shit out of Rooster’s head.
“You can’t save it. Eject! Eject!” Maverick orders. Not hesitating Phoenix is repeating the order to Bob, “Eject! Eject! Eject!” Seconds later the radio goes silent, leaving everyone in the room to wonder if they had made it out.
With trembling lips, Barbara slowly lets go of Rooster’s hand—realizing she had grabbed it in the midst of the chaos—and brought it to her chest. Since her back was to him, Barbara missed how he had tried to reach out and grasp it when she pulled away. The pumping of her heart thumped below her palm at an alarming rate, her hand slightly trembling as she tried to catch air.
Unsure of how to react, everyone was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the helicopter taking off from the tarmac—on its way to rescue Phoenix and Bob. The sound snapped Barbara out of her daze, who took a sharp breath before spinning on her heel to exit the lounge. Her head was hurting and she felt nauseated. As she sped down the hallway and threw open the front doors Barbara was met with the warm sun. It did little to help her—in fact it made it worse because next thing she knew she was spilling her guts into a nearby trash can.
Groaning, Barbara prayed none would get in her hair. She was so used to having a bun to keep it out her face that she forgot it was cut short. It fell over her cheeks and brought one hand up to push it away. Footsteps approached behind, and soon her hand was replaced by someone, another hand coming to the same on the other side.
She didn’t have to look to know it was Rooster. His shadow and cologne was enough.
After a few moments to catch her breath and make sure her stomach was empty, Barbara reached into her pocket to pull out a tissue. Stepping back to wipe her mouth she felt Rooster release his hold from her hair. “Thanks.”
He nods to her, stepping back to give her some space. “Not used to you having your hair so short.” The comment makes her chuckle. It was true. Their entire relationship Barbara’s black hair was long and wavy. The amount of hairspray, gel, and pins to keep it neat when in uniform was a bucket load. Once everything happened in 2016, she surprised her friends and herself by chopping it to a bob.
“Yeah. Me neither.”
“Why did you cut it?”
“Wanted a change,” she mutters, briefly glancing at him. “Felt like it was something I needed.” In the peripheral she saw him nod again. Throwing out the napkin, Barbara pulls out a cigarette and plants herself on the top step to set. Lighting the tobacco, Barbara takes a deep inhale with her eyes closed, feeling the nerves slowly start to settle.
“Why do you do that?” The tone in Rooster’s voice has her let out a tired sigh.
“Because it calms me down, Bradley. Okay? And right now I’d rather have the taste of nicotine than vomit in my mouth.” She keeps her eyes closed but feels him move to sit next to her. With this she turns her head away from him, so the smoke isn’t blowing in his face. “Let’s not argue about this. Please.”
“I won’t,” he replies, though there’s a hint of protest in his voice. It wasn’t like he could have her promise him again to quit. She had no reason to listen to him. “Are you okay?” Barbara scoffs lightly which had Bradley quickly say, “Nevermind don’t answer that.”
They sit there for a while. Neither says anything as Barbara finishes her cigarette. Finally she asks the question that had been nagging at her since he arrived, “Why did you follow me out here?”
The pilot shuffles his feet, glancing to where his hands laid in his lap. “Felt like I owed it to you after last week. And you would’ve done the same for me.” Barbara mentally curses, hating the fact he knew her so well. What also didn’t help were the butterflies swarming in her tummy.
Fuck she needed to get it together
She didn’t reply, and Rooster didn’t need her to. He already knew the answer. Thankfully the sight of the helicopter returning caught their attention, and both pilots were met with relief when they saw Phoenix and Bob being hauled off and into an ambulance. “Oh thank God,” Barbara whispered, bringing her hands together in a silent prayer.
Rooster bids a glance to the sky in silent thank you, “I’ll stay and wait for an update. You should go home, get some rest.” She sees him lift something in the corner of her eye and is met with a dum-dum lollipop. The ace she made must’ve been comical because Rooster was biting back a smile.
“Wha—.”
“I’ve noticed you’ve been going to town on them since we started training,” Barbara felt her heart stutter, cheeks going pink. “Thought you could use one.”
“Oh—-uh,” she stuttered, not really knowing how to react. With a small smile, she took the candy, flinching when she felt a shock when their skin touched. “Thank you….that was uh, very kind of you.” ‘God’ she thought to herself. Was that all she could come up with? She was married to the guy once upon a time. It was embarrassing how a little gesture of bringing a lollipop could get her flustered.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, rubbing his hands together and looking away. Whatever he was feeling it was hard to put a name on it. Clearing his throat, Rooster stands and practically blocks the sun from Barbara. “I’ll uh—I’ll leave you be then.” He goes to enter the building, walking slowly as though he expects Barbara to stop him. Which he was silently hoping for despite not understanding why.
Again, denying the feelings he knows is resurfacing.
And deep down Barbara wanted to. As she watched him go there was a tug on her heartstrings. But the woman didn't really know what to say. What could they talk about? Besides the beach day it was the first time they managed to get through a conversation—even if it was short—without arguing. Letting the thoughts go, Barbara sat in silence as she watched him leave before sighing and getting up to wash up.
The shower was a much needed one. There were still emotions running through Barbara, but most had settled once the hot water hit her skin. Halo was just finishing up when she got there, and Barbara relayed that Phoenix and Bob had been sent to the infirmary. “Good. I hope they’re okay,” the older pilot said in relief. They talked for a bit before saying goodbye and leaving Barbara to her shower. She didn’t know how long she’d been in there. It wasn’t until the hot water turned cold that she decided to get out.
Once dressed Barbara collected her belongings and set out for the parking lot. She had just turned the corner, unlocking her phone to see several missed calls from her mom and Sarah when Admiral Bates intercepted her. “Lieutenant Mitchell.” Barbara looked up from her phone, already filled with dread from the amount of calls when she saw the look on his face.
It was one of bad news.
Tears sprung in her eyes, but she fought to keep them at bay, “He’s gone isn’t he?” She didn’t need to hear him say it. After the last visit with Iceman, Barbara felt it was the last she’d see him. Sarah had mentioned it was any day that the inevitable would happen.
But that didn’t mean it hurt any less.
Face solemn, Warlock simply replied, “I’m very sorry.” Squeezing her eyes shut, Barbara made a sound like she was holding back a sob. Iceman was like a second father to her. When things got tough and Maverick wasn’t there, Ice stepped in and had her back. He was there at her commission ceremony, when she graduated flight school, he even flew to pin on her ranks when she made Lieutenant. When she got in trouble with pissing off superiors Ice got her out of it much like he did with her father. If it hadn’t been for him, Barbara would’ve been out of the Navy after the stunt she pulled two summers prior. And after she transferred to North Island, Sunday dinners became a habit with the Kazansky family.
They were her family.
“Has my father been notified, sir?” She asked after a moment. Pete was likely still on base and she wondered if they had reached out to him already. Or if she was going to have to be the one to give the awful news.
“I was just on my way to tell him,” Warlock tells her, nodding his head in the direction of the lounge. She assumed that’s where Mav was. “Would you like to join me?”
She really didn’t know if she could handle it. It would break her heart to see the pain on her father’s face knowing his wingman is gone. They’d been best friends for thirty plus years. Sniffing, Barbara wipes a finger under her eye and gives a short nod, “Y-yeah. I think that would be good.”
In silence the pair walk down the darkened hallway. All the while Barbara mentally prepares herself. She doesn’t have time to really have a pep talk because before she knows it Warlock is opening the door of the lounge and to the pilot's surprise she sees Maverick is not alone. Rooster is with him.
Whatever they were talking must’ve not been good because they were chest to chest with one another with Rooster glaring while Mav looked like he had been slapped in the face. The sound of the door combined with Warlock calling out to Maverick catches their attention and Barbara sees the flash of concern on both men when they see her expression. It looked like Rooster was about to move toward her but stopped himself. Instead Maverick is the one approaching the two.
“What is it?” He says to Warlock before turning to Barbara. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words failed to come out. Instead she glances at her feet while Warlock breaks the news.
“We’ve just received word on Admiral Kazansky,” the sharp intake of breath from Mav had Barbara wince. And when the words fell from Warlock’s lips, Barbara couldn’t stop the tears as they fell to the floor. “I regret to inform you, Captain, but the Admiral has died.”
The day of the funeral was a bittersweet endeavor. In her Service Dress Blues, Barbara stood beside her father at the front with the Kazansky family. It was a beautiful service. One she would remember forever. Hundreds of service men and women attended, many of whom worked with Iceman over his 30 plus years of service. The candidates were even in attendance. And every now and then Barbara could feel eyes on her.
No matter how many times she’d heard it over the years, the sound of Taps always brought tears to her eyes. The flag laying over the casket was folded and presented to Sarah by Admiral Simpson as the 21 gun salute was performed in the distance. Barbara kept her eyes forward, but saw Mav turn his head from her peripheral. And when it was time for him to Mav to tack in Ice’s wings, a lone tear trailed down her cheek.
To conclude the service was the fly by which sent chills through Barbara’s body. In the handful of times she unfortunately had to watch friends laid to rest, the feeling always arose. It was a final send off to the fallen. Maverick, with tears in his eyes, stood at the end of the casket saluting until the planes passed. All he could do was stare at the portrait of his wingman.
A rivalry that became a friendship that would last a lifetime.
When everyone dispersed, Barbara was the first to offer her condolences to the family. She’d already been to their house the night Ice passed, convincing Maverick they should go be with them, but nonetheless brought the older woman into a hug.
“I know I already told you this the other day,” she sniffed, “but my mother sends her love and support. She’s sorry she couldn’t be here today but called me this morning to let you know she’s thinking of you and the family.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Sarah replies, wiping her face with a sad smile. “Tell her I thank her for the flowers she sent the next time you talk to her.”
Barbara nods, “Of course.” Maverick had returned at that moment so Barbara stepped away to hug Ice’s children who were like cousins to her. They spoke for a few moments, before Barbara decided to take her leave. As much as she wanted to stay for the reception the pilot was not feeling it. Well aware she was going to have to get her head back into business, Barbara had spent most of the past couple days burying herself in sorrow to the point she was exhausted. Dark circles had formed under eyes that were covered with makeup to hide how tired she was.
“I’m gonna go home,” she said to Maverick, who seemed a little surprised. He wasn’t expecting her to leave so soon. She quickly explained, “I haven’t got much sleep the past couple nights. I know Admiral Simpson expects us to be ready for training on Monday so I’d like to take the next day to recoup.”
“I understand,” he nods, feeling the same way as his daughter. The tone in his voice gave away how drained the Captain was. “Get some rest. I’ll see you Monday.” As they were in uniform and he outranked her, Barbara lifted her hand in a salute, waited for Mav to do the same and did not drop hers until he did. It was odd having to salute him, but Barbara brushed off. Fidgeting on her feet, Barbara made the rash decision to reach up and lay a soft kiss on Maverick’s cheekbone. He froze, not expecting the gesture, but nonetheless it brought a smile to his face. With one last squeeze to his forearm, Barbara took her leave.
Instead of riding her bike, Barbara had driven her 1960 Ford Thunderbird that she often kept in the garage of her home. She only took it out on certain occasions where she wore her Dress Blues or gowns for officers balls. It was a gift to herself when she made Lieutenant after searching high and low for the vehicle. Unlike a lot of newly commissioned officers, Barbara spent most of her paychecks on paying off student loans while saving up for her dream car. It was well worth the wait.
When she got to her car she found Phoenix, Bob, Fanboy, Payback, and Rooster huddled by the trunk. The second she made eye contact with Phoenix, the brunette was walking toward her, catching the attention of the others. “Hey,” she greeted, bringing Barbara into a hug. “How are you doing?”
“As best as I can really,” Barbara mumbled, pulling away and giving a light shrug. “I knew it was coming, but of course it doesn't make it any easier.” Nat gives a look of understanding to which Barbara asks, “How are you though? You fucking scared me the other day, Natasha.”
Nat grimaces in response, “well I certainly can say I know what it feels like to see my life flash before my eyes. But other than that I’m good. Bob is too.”
“Good, I’m so happy you two are okay,” Barbara squeezes her forearm. She nods to the guys, “What are y’all about to do?”
“Heading to the Hard Deck. Shoot some darts, play some pool, and drink the day away. None of us knew Admiral Kazansky like you so we felt like it was better than to take up room at the reception.”
“Yeah, I’m not going either.” Phoenix raised her brow in surprise. She would’ve expected Barbara to attend, being she was his Goddaughter. But then again it was up to Barbara to go if she wanted.
“Do you want to come with us?” She nods her head to the guys who were trying to not make it look like they were listening in. Briefly Barbara locks eyes with Rooster, whose face was full of concern for the woman. Once again she felt warmth under his gaze. It was only a matter of time before the feelings became too much. With a shake of the head, Barbara turned back to Phoenix, “Not tonight, Phee. I think I’m just gonna call it an early night.”
“Okay. But call me if you need anything. Alright?”
“Will do,” Barbara taps her shoulder and walks with her to the others. She greets and thanks them for attending the service which has Fanboy and Bob both offer a small hug while Payback pats her back. Meanwhile Rooster stays still with his hands in his pockets, but nods to Barbara when they make eye contact. She returns the gesture, removing her car keys from her pocket to unlock the car.
“This your ride?” Fanboy says with surprise. When they stood by the car after the service it was to admire it. None were aware it belonged to the young Mitchell. They’d only ever seen her ride her Ducati. At her look of pride he whistles out a ‘Damn.’ Bob and Payback are also gawking which makes the woman chuckle. For the next couple minutes Barbara finds herself answering questions about her car. Where she got it, how she got it, and if she would let them take it on a spin one day.
“If you drive like you fly, then Imma pass on that,” Barbara points a finger at Payback, who puts a hand to his chest as though she’s broken his heart.
“Oh come on, C, I am an excellent driver.”
“I’ll see to that.” After a few more words of exchange and side hugs to Bob and Phoenix, the four pilots bid their goodbyes, leaving Rooster to stay behind. It was awkward to say the least. Neither knew what to say. Barbara shuffled on her feet, putting her hands on her pockets. “How are you?”
He lightly scoffed at the fact that was the first thing she asked. “You’re asking me that question, Barbara?” She had to hold back rolling her eyes, but clicked her tongue as she replied, “Ice meant as much to you as he did to me. I know you’re hurting too, Bradley.”
Licking his lips, he leans on the side of the car, “I’m sad—of course I would be. He was there for me and my mom a lot after my dad died. But it’s you I’m more worried about, Barbara. He was your Godfather.”
The familiar emotion of grief filled her chest but she pushed it away. She had cried enough, and right now she did not want to cry in front of Rooster even if he had seen it many times before. He was the only one she would show emotion to when they were together. Even her parents had never seen her cry. “I’m fine—really I am. You don’t have to worry about me, Bradley.”
Rooster just shakes his head, voice going low, “I’m always going to worry about you.” The air catches in her throat. The way he said it was like how one was trying to deny the fact they could no longer refuse the truth any longer. The same way Barbara was fighting her own truth.
Quickly changing the subject because she was dealing with mixed emotions by his confession, Barbara nods her head to where the others were getting in their cars. “You should go. Don’t keep them waiting and beat the evening rush.” The expression he gives her reads, ‘I’d rather stay here with you,’ but nonetheless Bradley sighs and pushes off the car.
He steps back, but before she could react he’s suddenly bending down to her level. Freezing at the contact of his lips meeting her cheek, Barbara can’t contain the blush rising on her cheeks from the fire she was feeling. His lips linger, staying for a few seconds longer than what she would have expected, until he pulls away and turns around before she could say anything.
‘Did that really just happen,’ she thought to herself. It was like she was in a trance. When she finally snapped out of it, Barbara stumbled back and caught her hand on the car door. Bradley had just entered his Bronco, catching Barbara in his rear view mirror which had her quickly open the door and fall into the driver's seat. The entire way home Barbara couldn’t help but let the thought plague her mind:
How was she going to get through this mission and not let her heart get in the way if either she or Rooster get selected?
The next day Barbara slept and exercised her worries away. First she slept in till nearly noon, made a late brunch, and then decided to go to the Fightertown gym. It came in handy when Barbara wanted to use the equipment rather than take a run around her neighborhood. And luckily she didn’t have to pay for a membership. After about three or so hours, drenched with sweat and feeling a weight lift off her shoulders, Barbara decided to call it a day.
As she was passing the air strip on her way out, she caught sight of Maverick’s bike parked in front of the building where the Admiral’s offices were. Confusion filled her. What was he doing there?
Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Barbara pulled up into a space and quietly made her way into the mostly empty building. It was dimly lit in the hallways, which made sense since it was Sunday. Soon voices could be heard in the distance as Barbara approached Admiral Simpson’s office. On her toes, so her footsteps wouldn’t echo, Barbara leaned her back against the wall and leaned close to the door. “Sir?” She stiffened at her father’s voice.
There’s a pause before Cyclone says, “We both know you didn’t want this job, Captain.”
“Sir, they’re not ready.”
“Well, it was your job to get them ready.”
“Sir, they have to believe that this mission can be flown,” Mav pleaded and Barbara felt her heart skip. If she was assuming right, this was Cyclone firing Maverick. With Ice gone there was nothing in the way from the Admiral doing so.
“And all you’ve managed to do is teach them that it can’t.” Barbara felt anger rise. She couldn’t believe Cyclone was pulling her father off—especially with the mission being days away. It was a big mistake.
“Sir—.”
“You’re grounded Captain,” he cut him off. “Permanently.” A hand came up to her mouth, Barbara willing herself to not act irrational and burst in there to curse her superior. ‘Stand your ground, dad. You can’t let him do this. You’re Pete Mitchell for God’s sake.’
“Sir—.”
“That is all.” At the dismal from Cyclone, Barbara mentally cursed and raced back down the hallway before Mav could open the door. She didn’t want to get caught by either man eavesdropping. Hauling ass out the building she threw the doors open, literally jumped on her bike and sped away.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” She hit the handles in anger. Slowing her speed, cause lord knows she didn’t want to get a ticket on base, Barbara’s mind was racing. What the fuck was Cyclone thinking? They were less than a week away from pulling off the biggest mission of their lives and he was pulling their instructor out at the mose grave time? He was basically giving them a death sentence.
Barbara, though hating how her father was hardly there in her childhood, knew he was the best fighter pilot in the world. With three kills under his belt, the man knew what was needed to hit the target and come home. While the mission parameters looked impossible, it was the only way they would survive with all its obstacles.
There had to be something they could do. Thinking of ways to convince Cyclone to change his mind, Barbara hadn’t even realized she had spent nearly an hour driving around San Diego. The sun slowly started to set and she pulled up to the Hard Deck for a much needed drink. Again, the first thing she saw was Maverick’s bike. The thought of a drink disappeared as the pilot saw footsteps in the sand leading to the back of the building.
Following them, Barbara peered over the corner and found Mav crouching in front of Penny. It was hard to hear their conversation from where she stood, but was able to piece together Penny encouraging the man to find his own way back into the air. It brought a smile to Barbara’s lips. She really liked Penny out of all the girlfriends her father had mentioned over the years. The two, while their relationship had its ups and downs, seemed like a great fit.
When she saw the older woman place a hand to Mav’s cheek and said, “but you’ll find a way,” Barbara decided to make her move. “Captain,” she saw the two jump at the sudden intrusion but relaxed when their eyes fell on her. Putting her hands in her pocket, Barbara nudges her head to the beach with her attention on Maverick. “Mind if I have a word?”
Mav says something to Penny before rising and replies, “of course.” Falling behind him, she bids a small smile to Penny who returns it, and walks with her father to the edge of where the dry sand meets the wet sand. It was cool around them from the ocean breeze. The two silent for a moment to take in the scenery.
“He’s making a mistake,” she finally says, noticing Mav turn his head to her. “Cyclone,” the name has the man tense, realizing Barbara knew what had happened. “I know they say curiosity kills the cat, but I couldn’t help myself when I saw your bike parked in front of his office.”
The confession has Maverick sighing, “You overheard.” There was a mix of disappointment and embarrassment in his tone. It has Barbara frowning, turning to the side so they were facing each other.
“You can’t let him get away with it.”
“Barbara—.”
“He’s making a mistake!” Her voice rises, the anger from earlier returning. “You know he is, Mav, and you’re gonna just let it happen?” When he doesn’t answer she takes a step closer, determination set in her eyes, “You said it yourself, we’re not ready. Cyclone is going to lead us to death if he takes over.”
While Maverick agreed with her, he still didn’t like the way she was talking about the Admiral. Even if it were true. “Barbara, you shouldn’t be saying that about your superiors.”
She makes a face as though to say, ‘try me.’ “I’ve said much worse and I’ve said it to their faces. And no—,” she raises a hand when Mav opens his mouth, “I will not elaborate. That’s a conversation for another day. Bottom line is, you’re Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell for crying out loud. And the Maverick I know doesn't sit back when he knows he could do something.” A pause comes as she finishes her rants, noticing how Mav had a small smile when she said his full name. “So? Any ideas?”
Pete shuffles his feet in the sand, tilting his head with a shrug as he glances to the waters, “I have one that comes to mind.” Barbara nods, liking what she was hearing.
“Okay, so what’s our plan?”
“Our plan?” His head snaps back with bewilderment. Immediately he’s refusing the implication, “No, no, no. There is no ‘our’ plan, Barbara.” His fingers went up in quotations when saying ‘our’.
“Yes there is,” she insists.
“No, there’s not.”
“I’m helping you do whatever it is you’re planning, Pete.”
“Barbara—.”
“Maverick.”
“This is a bad idea.”
“All your ideas are.”
“Which is why you’re not helping!” He shouts with his arms out causing her to fall silent. Softly Maverick takes a hold of Barbara’s shoulders, connecting their eyes so he could get through to her on the matter. “Honey, If you were to help me—because God knows regardless I’m done for even if I do it—you could get court-martialed. Possibly discharged. I can’t let you risk your career for me. Do you understand?” While it prided the Captain his daughter was willing to help him get back in the air, he cared about her more. She was on her way to becoming one of the best pilots the Navy had ever produced. Just like him and his father before him. After years of working so hard there was no way Mav was going to let her throw it away.
When she didn’t say anything at first, Pete thought he had changed her mind. That was the goal. But what stunned the Captain and had him pulling her into a hug, the first one in several years, was when she uttered the words in full determination, “What’s the point in being a legacy, your legacy, if I can’t live up to the name.”
“Captain Mitchell is no longer your instructor,” was the first thing the pilots heard from Admiral Simpson the moment they settled in for the day's briefing. Confused looks were shared between Phoenix and Rooster when they realized Barbara hadn’t arrived when they were ordered to sit. “And as of today, there are new mission parameters. The time to target is now four minutes,” the beep from the screen sounds as the -02:30:00 changes. “You’ll be entering the valley at reduced speed. Not to exceed 420 knots.”
In the front row Hangman and Coyote exchange looks, as do Phoenix and Bob, who says, “Sir, won’t we be giving their planes time to intercept?”
“Well, Lieutenant, you have a fighting chance against enemy aircraft. What are the odds of surviving a head-on collision with a mountain?” Phoenix adjusts in her seat, not liking what she was hearing. “You’ll be attacking the target from a higher altitude, level with the north wall. Gonna be a little harder to keep your laser on target, but you will avoid the high-G claim out.” In the back, Warlock was having to keep neutral.
“We’ll be sitting ducks for enemy missiles,” Fanboy mutters to Payback under his breath.
“Where is Lieutenant Mitchell?” Cyclone suddenly asks, realizing he did not see the pilot in her usual seat. Those in the front had turned their head while the ones in the back and to the side leaned over. All became confused at the sight of the empty chair. This was unlike Barbara. And with a mission so close it was out of character by a long shot. “Was she running late this morning?” Cyclone asks no one in particular.
Murmurs sound around the room, many shrugging their shoulders. Rooster tightened his jaw, shaking his head when Phoenix gave him a look that read, ‘where the hell is she?”
“Has there been word of Lieutenant Mitchell dropping out?” The Admiral asks Warlock who shrugs and says, “Not as far as I know, Sir.” Suddenly their attention is on the monitor when it starts beeping. From the side, in blue are two plane simulators heading straight for the course. “Who the hell is that?”
Their answer is given in the form of the one and only Pete Maverick Mitchell.
“Maverick and Legacy to Range Control. Entering Point Alpha. Confirm green range.”
“Uh, Maverick, Range Control, uh, green range is confirmed. I don’t see an event scheduled for you two, sir.” Reactions varied from around the room. Most of it was of shock, especially from Phoenix and Rooster, while others like Fanboy and Bob were fidgeting with excitement. Cyclone looked like he was about to shit his pants.
“Well, we’re going anyway,” Barbara said through the coms. It sent a grin to Phoenix, “Nice.”
Up in the air, Barbara was pushing her plane faster than she’s ever before to keep up with Maverick. Nothing besides adrenaline controlled her. The consequences would come after. But for now, she was going to prove to the team that they could get the mission done.
“You can punch out now, Legacy. There’s still time.”
Scoffing at her father, Barbara simply said, “Not a chance, old man. I feel the need for speed.” There was no turning back now. It was go time.
“Setting time to target: two minutes and fifteen seconds,” the number appeared on her screen after the words left Mavericks lips. Feeling her heart pumping, Barbara cracked her neck, pulled down her visor, and said a silent prayer.
“Final attack point. Maverick and Legacy inbound,” he announced and Barbara’s hand went to the lever, ready to follow his move. Inverting, she thrusted the lever and descended down to the entry point of the simulated course. The second she hit it the countdown started, and for everyone in the briefing room watching it happen live, all they could do was hold their breath and wait.
“First turn up ahead, Legacy.”
“Let’s turn and burn,” she exclaimed before a grunt escaped her at the force of the tight turns. They were one minute in with one and half to go as they hit the halfway point of the terrain.
“Talk to me, Legacy.”
“Right behind you, Mav,” she huffs, barely able to catch breath but the adrenaline was distracting her. Time felt slow but really it was going fast because before they knew it they were out of the terrain and approaching the pop up point with 40 seconds to go. Here Barbara was able to really breathe and she took advantage of the moment while mentally preparing for the mountain climb.
The ground was so close she was practically touching it. Maverick was right in front of her, the two maintaining their position with not a lick of Barbara falling behind. In the debriefing room the tension was getting high. Rooster was leaning forward with hands clasped tightly, heart racing as the planes got closer and closer to the simulated mountain.
For Barbara, one hand was on the lever the other on the controller as she waited for Mav’s signal. “Popping in three…two…one.” The plane soared upward and soon they were making the inverted dive. When they swung upright they had to act quick for time was running out. It would be tough to fly and lock the laser on the target, but it had to be done.
Barbara could barely contain the shakes in her finger, but fought against it. She locked on the target at the same moment Mav called out, “Bombs away! Legacy!”
“Locked, bombs away!” Her thumb hit the button, dropping the mock missiles before both hands clutched the stick and shot the plane up. They were less than ten seconds from zero, Barbara feeling the tightness in her chest grow with the force of the Gs pulling against her. She was pulling with everything she had to stay level all while fighting the urge to black out. The darkness formed around her eyes, but Barbara kept her focus on the laser monitor.
And in the debriefing room? Well half of the pilots were out of their seats and if they weren’t they were surely on the edge. The area showing the G force was rising from 8 to 8.5 to 9 and 9.5. Rooster was now gripping the arms of his chair. There was a part of him, while impressed and amazed by his ex-wife for acting unorthodox, worried for her well being. Especially after the close call with Coyote the week before.
And Barbara was fighting that G-Loc so hard. There was sweat blocking her vision, her head was pounding, and it hurt to breathe. But it all was worth it when the countdown stopped at -00:00.16.
It was a bullseye.
From both Mitchells.
“Bulls-eye! Holy shit!” Fanboy exclaimed the second the monitor beeped. Several others cheered, in awe at the sight of the successful run. Even Hangman was impressed, the man muttering a low, “Damn.”
“Yes,” Bob gave a high five to Phoenix who was grinning like a maniac. She couldn’t wait to see Barbara when she landed. Behind her, Rooster was leaning forward, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But there was no denying he was in absolute amazement. Even with 10.Gs staring back at him.
Barbara and Mav had proved the mission could be done.
Removing her mask, Barbara took a deep inhale, bringing a hand to her forehead to wipe away the moisture. Leveling out beside her dad, Barbara turned her head where she could see his face. Like her, he looked like hell. “You good, old man?”
“Yeah,” he laughed out of breath. “I’m good. Are you?”
“As good as one can be after pulling ten fucking Gs.” He laughed at the rhyme again causing her to grin. They basked in the moment of peace before heading back to the tarmac. Where they would face the consequences for their actions. No matter the outcome, Barbara would accept it. She very well could face the end of her career, but to her it was worth it.
The second they landed, the Mitchells were ordered to Cyclone’s office. Warlock had met them on the edge of the tarmac, remaining professional but Barbara could see he was in fact impressed with the two. Of course he couldn’t say anything, but that was okay.
Standing at attention beside Pete, Barbara kept focus on the blinds in front of her. Cyclone was looking out the window, his back toward them while he grilled into the pilots, “You have put me in a difficult position, Captain. And you, Lieutenant, don’t even get me started. One the one hand, you two have demonstrated that this mission can be flown. Perhaps the only way it can be survived. On the other hand, you did it by stealing multi-million dollar aircraft and flying it in such a manner that it may never be airworthy again.”
‘Oops,’ Barbara thought to herself.
“Iceman is no longer here to protect you,” Barbara tenses at the mention of her Godfather. “I have everything I need to have you court-martialed and dishonorably discharged. So what do I do?” Cyclone asks, but it sounds more like it was a question to himself. This is confirmed when the next statements are, “Risk the lives of my pilots and perhaps the success of this mission. Or…risk my career….by appointing you team leader?”
The best way to describe what Barbara Mitchell felt in that moment would be the equivalent to the Earth stopping. There was a heavy feeling in her chest, and Barbara unconsciously reached out to grab Maverick’s hand. He gripped it back, feeling the slight tremor as his own shock surfaced.
“Sir—.”
“I think the admiral’s asking a rhetorical question, Captain,” Warlock cut him off, causing Pete to halt his movements. Barbara squeezed his hand, fighting back the overwhelming feeling of anxiety in her veins. As she was going through the possible outcomes, her father being named team leader was one of them. It was one she was having trouble with, because it meant she could easily lose him.
And that scared the fearless pilot.
“Lieutenant Mitchell,” Maverick’s hand fell from hers as Barbara snapped to attention. Just by the sound of Cyclone saying her name indicated she was not about to receive good news like her father. “While you had a part in demonstrating the possible success of the mission, the fact still remains. Unlike Captain Mitchell here, you give me no reason to brush this aside and I have to set an example for people who think it’s okay to break the rules,” here it comes, “With that being said, you are no longer a candidate for this mission and are hereby grounded.” The air caught as she took in a sharp breath, Maverick doing the same. “You will be subjected to a court-martial where your fate will be decided by a jury of your peers.”
“Sir—,” Maverick tries to step in, but Barbara doesn’t let him.
“I understand, sir,” she was impressed her voice didn’t break. Maverick went to protest, but with one look from Barbara he stood down. Fighting it would do him no good, especially now with his position.
“For now you’ll continue to act as though you are a candidate seeing as tonight I was planning on Captain Mitchell to choose his team. And in doing so I’m also allowing you to come on the carrier, but you will not play a part in the reserves. See this as me being generous since it’s your father who I’m sending out.”
“I appreciate that, sir,” she replies, still gripping the fact it was Maverick who in the end got to be the team leader. And now he had to choose between Hangman, Coyote, and Rooster for his wingman. Hangman was out of the question, proving he could not work in a team from the beginning. Coyote was good, but the G-Loc had Maverick concerned.
That left Rooster.
“You’re both dismissed. We will be meeting at the hangar in one hour.” Neither Mitchell wasted a second and were out the door, Maverick pulling Barbara into his arms.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, honey,” he said into her hair, gripping like she would slip from his arms. There were tears in his eyes. It pained him that the worst outcome for his daughter happened.
“I-it’s okay,” she stuttered out, pulling away to wipe her face. She wasn’t devastated like she thought she’d be about her career. Her emotion came at the worry of Maverick and possibly Rooster going on the mission. “I expected this to happen. I accepted it last night when I said I would do anything to get you back in the air,” she sniffed, giving her dad a small smile. “It worked though so it was worth it.”
Yeah it worked, but that didn’t mean Pete was heartbroken and upset it cost Barbara everything she loved. “There’s gotta be another way.”
“No,” she said firmly, “We can’t fight it anymore. It was bound to happen eventually and I knew that when I woke up this morning. We can worry about me later, okay? Right now you need to focus on the mission and who you plan to pick. Although I already have a feeling you already know,” her voice goes quiet, Maverick’s expression confirming. Blinking a few times to keep the tears at bay, Barbara nods, telling him it was okay. “He’s ready. You know he is.”
“Barb—.”
“I trust him with my life, dad,” she cuts him off resulting in complete shock from the aviator. That name hadn’t been used since Barbara was fifteen. She could only imagine what he was thinking at that moment.
Pushing the thought aside she lightly squeezed his forearms, “More than anyone else on this planet, I trust him with my life and you can too. While he started slow and had a lot to work on, I know he can pull through.” Licking her lips, Barbara accepts the inevitable, “Rooster won’t let you down.”
………………….
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Koenigsegg Gemera
Koenigsegg came up with its own design for the electric powertrain in the Gemera hybrid hypercar. Founder Christian von Koenigsegg is a fan of electric cars, and as CEO of the automaker that bears his name, he has dedicated over half of the company’s research and development budget toward designing, developing and producing EV systems. The electric half of the Gemera’s 1700-hp hybrid powertrain is pretty outrageous—and might I remind you, the internal-combustion half is made up of a twin-turbo three-cylinder engine with no camshafts and a single-gear transmission called Koenigsegg Direct Drive.At the heart of the Gemera’s electrified drivetrain are some in-house-designed components that, the company says, are the most power- and energy-dense examples on earth. Here’s how Koenigsegg turns electrons into acceleration.Every electric vehicle is controlled by an inverter, the component that takes the direct-current energy coming out of a battery and changes it to the alternating current that powers the motors. The inverter dictates how an EV performs: When the driver moves the accelerator pedal, it sends a signal to the inverter. The inverter controls the motor’s speed by changing the frequency of the alternating Koenigsegg’s new silicon carbide, six-phase inverter weighs just 22 pounds. With a volume of around 10 liters, it’s extremely compact. At 850 volts DC, the inverter can produce up to 750 kW of motor power. Hence the name that Koenigsegg chose for this component: David, after the small but victorious contender in the well-known biblical tale.The Gemera has two of these inverters, meaning an output capability of up to 1.5 megawatts—or just over 2000 hp.
Remember that, on top of components like that David inverter, Koenigsegg is also advancing cutting-edge technology in the realm of internal combustion—like the Tiny Friendly Giant, the 2.0-liter twin-turbo three-cylinder that makes 600 horsepower, a higher power-per-liter output than any road-car engine in history. It will pair with the EV technology in the Gemera to add up to 1700 hybrid horsepower. Clearly, von Koenigsegg has enthusiasm for internal combustion and EVs alike.
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Pioneering Sustainable Energy Conversion
In this comprehensive review, we delve deep into the world of Sunways phase inverters, investigating their key features, benefits, and critical role in accelerating the transition to a greener, more sustainable energy future.
#solar panels#Solar Inverters#Sunways Inverters#8kw inverter#5kw solar inverter#Phase Inverter#Single phase inverter#Three phase inverter#Solar Installation#Solar Products#solar distribution#Solar wholesale#SolarAU
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Any thoughts on melon-chama? (What the hell is that nickname my brain just vomited Tenkai's not even young)
Ahh, Tenkai, known by many titles: The "Melon of Terror", the "Terrifying Flying Death Melon", the "Flying Melon of Terror"... "Melon-chama", apparently (It's fine Tenkai can get a little baby talk, as a treat for babysitting Sukune and Sese)
I'll admit I tend to overlook Tenkai themself as a character, treating them more as a lore expositor, but that's absolutely not all they are. Let's dig into One of the Old Dictators—Tenkai Zuifeng
Behind the Melon
Tenkai (天堺 heaven border) is based on the 14th-century Japanese Buddhist monk "Tenkai" (天海 same pronunciation, different kanji).
Tenkai's (the monk) first Buddhist name was actually Zuifuu (随風), which is again similar in pronunciation to Tenkai's surname, Zuifeng (瑞風 lit. fresh, vibrant wind, taken to mean "auspicious wind"). Although Zuifeng takes a Chinese pronunciation of 風 rather than a Japanese one, a reference to the association between the concept of barriers (結界) and the Chinese philosophy of the Five Phases (五行 wǔxíng).
In addition to being a high-ranking Buddhist priest, Tenkai also served as the advisor to the shogun at the time, the great unifier of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu (on whom Tsurubami is themself based). This is the basis upon which Tsurubami's relationship with Tenkai comes from.
While the monk's later life is well documented, his early life actually remains an overall mystery. Perhaps similar to how Tenkai's own backstory is unclear, other than that they're related to a famous barrier builder and came from the outside world.
Tenkai's Designs
I'm not usually all that good at talking about the visual side of things, but Tenkai does have some unique points that I'd like to touch on
Tenkai's outfits are often compared to melons, specifically the Yubari King melon, which is hilariously enough Tenkai's favorite food. They are the only character so far to have actually received three distinct designs, aside from Sese Kitsugai:
There's their work outfit, which they wore in RMI and as a boss in BPoHC (the latter, funnily enough, has the words yuubari (夕張) on a sleeve)
Their casual outfit, which they wore as a playable in BPoHC
Their melon outfit, which they showed up in as Tenki [Melon] in BotC
In addition, Tenkai's headband is a part of a running gag from JynX, where they insist that they do not remember what they based it on. (Even though I myself confirmed with them what it was once lol)
Pixiv FANBOX 29 April 2022 — Donors-Only Article
"By the way, I still haven't recalled what that stick on Tenkai's head was supposed to be. I'm sure it was based on something related to their character basis, but what was it...?
Eh, let's just say that it's a melon's vines, alright?" — JynX
It is, in fact, based on nokimarugawara (軒丸瓦), a style of roof tiling in Japanese architecture. (As a bit of a side note, Len'en seems to view barrier building as they do any other type of normal building, making Tenkai somewhat of an architect themself)
Spell Cards
And we come to my absolute FAVOUITE part about analyzing Tenkai: their spell cards. There's honestly something to say about every single one of them, but here I'll focus on a particular set with a common theme: The Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine.
The shrine is a marvel of Japanese shrine and temple architecture, and is where Tokugawa Ieyasu was buried and enshrined, who, if you'd recall, is who Tsurubami themself is based on.
Here I'll go over a few notable locations and features of the Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine, and point out how they influenced Tenkai's spell cards:
The Shrine's Main Gate — Youmeimon Gate (陽明門)
It's directly named in the spell Youmei "Higurashi-no-mon", where Higurashi-no-mon (日暮ノ門 gate of the sunset) is another name for the gate, as it is so beautiful that one could spend the whole day staring at it.
The spells Inverted Pillar "Guri Carving" and "Reversed Second Pillar Among the Twelve" also reference the gate, "guri carving" refers to the swirling pattern on the white pillars that support the gate. (One may note that this pattern is also what Tenkai's shot options are like!)
While the "inverted/reversed pillar" refers to a particular pillar that's erected inversely to all the other ones, which can be distinguished by the very guri pattern on them. (Leftmost in the first image) This was done to counteract a superstition at the time that since completed buildings will one day break down, an imperfection should be left to leave it "incomplete".
The spell "Dragon Head Tiles" likely references the dragon head carvings on the gate as well.
The corridors on the two sides of the gate feature extensive and ornate carvings of birds and flowers, referenced in the spell Calm "Sparrow in the East-West Corridor".
Shrine Carvings — Nemuri-neko, Three Monkeys, and More
The card Closed Eyes "Nemuri-Neko" references the carving of the same name, which simply means "sleeping cat". Said to represent the peace that Tokugawa's reign brought to Japan.
Behind Nemuri-neko is a carving of several sparrows, to remind us that even in times of peace, we mustn't lose vigilance. This was referenced again in Calm "Sparrow in the East-West Corridor", the hard/unreal version of Closed Eyes "Nemuri-Neko".
Three Monkeys "The World is Impure; Shut Everything Out" references this carving of the three wise monkeys.
It always seemed, at least to me, that by basing so many spells on the shrine, that Tenkai is simultaneously paying homage to other architects of the past and thematically mourning the (seemingly permanent) departure of Tsurubami. A most beautiful collection of references.
And I think, that makes for a fairly nice stopping point this time, I know I haven't gone much into the in-universe side of Tenkai this time, but maybe that can be the topic of yet another deep dive :)
#len'en project#len'en#Tenkai Zuifeng#I thought about going into Azumaterasu or barriers too#but I decided against it#perhaps some other time
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Sincerely, Yours
Standard disclaimer: I only own my original characters, I've done some research but there will likely be Navy/military inaccuracies, and I do not consent to the posting, translating, or publishing of my work to any 3rd party site, the only place it may be found is on tumblr and Wattpad under @.itswildflower
Summary: Training gets serious
Looking for previous chapters? Sincerely, Yours Masterlist
Chapter 6:
“Morning…” Warlock addresses the class. “The uranium enrichment plant that is your target will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days' time. To avoid contaminating the target valley with radiation, your mission has been moved up one week.” Elliot and Ria share a look, the latter biting her lip. “Sir, no one here has successfully flown the low-level course,” Coyote spoke up from his seat beside Hangman. “Nevertheless, you have been ordered to move on. Captain.” As the class absorbs this, Warlock nods to Maverick to take over. “We have one week left to focus on phase two - the most difficult stage of the mission: a pop-up strike with a steep dive requiring nothing less than two consecutive miracles. Two pairs of F-18s will fly in a welded wing formation. Teamwork - the precise coordination of these aircraft - is essential to both the mission’s success and your survival,” Maverick said looking them all in the eyes before a simulation of the mission begins to play out in slow, deliberate motion.
“As you know, the plant rests between two mountains. To maintain the lowest possible altitude, you’ll invert directly into a steep dive. Your target is an impact point less than three meters wide.” The aircraft in the simulation climb a mountain and roll onto their backs at the peak before diving, upside down. They roll upright and dive steeply. “The two-seat aircraft will paint the target with a laser bullseye. The lead single seat will breach the reactor by dropping a laser-guided bomb through an exposed ventilation shaft on the surface. That’s miracle number one.” In the simulation, the first team’s bomb hits and the planes pull out. “Second team delivers the kill shot.” The second team’s bomb hits and the target is destroyed. “Miracle number two. If you can’t hold your dive, if you lose your laser lock, you’ll miss. If either team misses... You fail. Egress is a steep, high G climb out. And this is where you’ll be at your most vulnerable,” Maverick says. “This... is coffin corner,” he continues pointing to the point at which they’d have to start climbing again. The class of aviators shares looks. This is bad. “Should you manage to avoid this mountain, you’ll climb straight up, into enemy radar, losing all your airspeed. Within seconds, you’ll be fired upon by enemy SAMs.” Animated planes climb into a hailstorm of SAMs. They take evasive action and dive immediately. “How fast you can dive back down into the canyon, will mean the difference between life and death.”
“A climb like that, at that speed, we’ll be pulling at least eight Gs,” Jake spoke up. “Nine. Minimum,” Maverick corrected. “The stress limit of the F-18s airframe is 7.5,” Bradley said staring at Maverick. Neither man blinks. “That’s the accepted limit. To survive this mission you’ll have to pull beyond that, even if it means bending your airframe.” He points to the animation of lethal-looking SAMs firing on climbing F-18s on the screen. “Climbing out of that canyon, you’ll be a sitting duck, with SAMs coming at you from all directions. You’ll weigh close to two thousand pounds, fighting with everything you have just to keep from blacking out, your lungs imploding like an elephant is sitting on your chest - your skull crushing your spine.” The reality of this hits home in all of the aviators. There’s a high likelihood that one of them would not be coming back. Maverick points to the canyon map on the screen. “Your only chance of survival will be to get what’s left of your aircraft below radar again. Then follow this canyon back to the carrier. That’s if you strike the target on time. If you don’t, you may have an even bigger problem to contend with.” Maverick clicks the remote and on the screen, the enemy’s vaunted fifth-generation fighter appears. “You’ll be flying in a damaged F-18 against one of the most lethal fighter planes ever produced.” A heavy silence settles in the room. “Sir... is this even achievable?” Natasha asks after a moment. “In the end, the answer to your question will come down to the pilot in the box,” Maverick tells them, looking each of them in the eyes again.
First up was Rooster with Pheonix and Bob. The rest of the aviators watched on the screens in the main room as they headed toward a U-shaped cluster of rusted-out shipping containers that were being used to simulate the target. Hangman with Payback and Fanboy followed them, flying at the same target, a small steel target drum behind the containers. Both teams’ aircraft fly in tandem mimicking the maneuver Maverick had shown them. They climb the fake mountain, rolling onto their backs at the imaginary peak. The teams dive toward the shipping containers that guard the target. Hangman and Payback miss the target and begin the flight back to base. Rooster curses to himself when he sees his missile miss the target by almost a hundred feet. “That’s a miss. That’s a miss.” Rooster sighs and flips off his mask. “Sorry, Bob. That’s on me,” he says as the pair begins the journey back to base. After that Maverick decides to try only one pair at a time. “Tempest, Denver, Coyote, you’re up,” Maverick called out and the three aviators looked at each other before nodding and moving to get their flight gear on.
“We’re twelve seconds late on target. We gotta move, we gotta move,” Denver called out. “I’m going as fast as I can,” Coyote replied. “Blue team, you are spotted,” Maverick calls out as the radar beeps. “Bandit, Bandit. Radar contact. 20 miles left, ten o’clock. He’s coming fast. 700 knots closure,” Denver relayed. “Shit, it’s Maverick,” Coyote cursed. “Stay focused,” Ria reminded them. “He’s swinging around to the north,” Denver informs her. “What do you want to do?” Coyote asked. “Continue. We’re close. Stay on target. Be ready on that laser, Denver,” Ria ordered. “On it…” Denver responded, reaching for a knob, constantly working. “Popping in 3-2-1,” Coyote and Tempest say together. They arc into the sky, rolling over to begin their 45-degree dive down the invisible mountain. “Talk to me, Denver. Where is Maverick?” Coyote grunts out. “I’m a little busy right now,” Denver replies, focused on readying the laser. “We got this Coyote,” Tempest encourages. “Captured!” Denver exclaims. “Got it. Bombs away,” Coyote replied but as he hits his payload trigger a warning light flashed. “Malfunction,” he informs them and tries again. And again. “Damnit! Hung bomb. Hung bomb.” Coyote curses under his breath before pulling out of the steep dive and starting the dangerous climb to coffin corner. Tempest and Denver were close behind him, straining under the intense Gs. Suddenly, alarms blare in their cockpit. “Maverick’s got tone on us!” Denver informs her. “Shit, we’re dead,” Ria sighed pulling out of the climb. She levels out waiting for Coyote but see’s he's continued the climb. “That’s a fail, return to base, Coyote,” Maverick orders. He however keeps pulling, harder still. And they realize something is wrong. “Coyote, do you copy?” Maverick asks. They get no response but then watch as Coyote’s near-vertical jet begins to nose over. “Coyote! Level wings!” Maverick ordered. Back in the classroom, the others watch as Coyote’s jet starts to roll. Cyclone steps closer, knowing something is wrong. Coyote’s jet fully inverts and begins heading for the ground. “Oh, god, He’s in G-loc! He’s going in,” Ria warns. Maverick curses, “I’m going after him.” Maverick dives left after Coyote, targeting his jet. “Come on, come on... gimme tone, you sonofabitch,” Maverick mutters. “Snap out of it, Coyote. Come on! Come on!” Ria sent up a small prayer to whoever was listening. Coyote is half in, half out of consciousness as alarms blare in his cockpit. “Damn it! Coyote! Coyote!” Maverick yells. Coyote yanks back hard on his stick, pulling up as hard as he could and breathing heavily. “Coyote, you okay? You okay?” Maverick asks as Skywalker and Maverick move into formation beside him. “I’m okay, I’m okay. I’m good…” Coyote manages to say and Ria lets out a deep sigh of relief. Back in the classroom, Jake slumped in his seat a little, relief flowing through him at his best friend's words.
“Good. Good. That’s enough for today, let’s head back to base,” Maverick said. “That was close,” Ria says. “Too close,” Maverick echoed. There was a loud bang. “Bird strike! Bird strike!” Maverick calls out as another loud bang sounds and feathers fly around their canopies. Alarms blare and Elliot’s instrument cluster lights up as their jet shudders. “Engine Failure, left engine is out. Tempest, climb!” Elliot ordered. “Climbing,” she responds, pulling up on her stick. Jake freezes in place, hearing but not quite processing what he was hearing. Elliot looks over his shoulder to see the left engine is on fire. “We’re on fire, we’re on fire,” he tells her. “Throttling back. Shutting off fuel. Extinguishing fire,” she says, her training kicking into gear. She pulls back on the throttle and activates the fire extinguisher switch. “We’re losing the right engine,” Elliot informed Ria. “It’s still spinning. I’m gonna try to restart it,” she tells him. She flips the APU switch and pushes the right throttle forward. Nothing happens. “Shit. Trying again.” She tries the APU and throttle again but suddenly, with a bang the right engine now catches fire. “We’re on fire again, Tempest!” Elliot informs her. “Damnit!” she hisses. “Oh, my god,” Maverick mutters. Everyone back in the classroom looks at each other, worry present on all faces, helpless to do anything but listen. Jake’s eyes are blown wide as he stands, powerless. “I’ve got every warning light lit up back here,” Elliot tells her, and Ria can hear the panic creeping into his voice. “Tempest, Denver, punch out, punch out!” Maverick calls out. “We lost hydraulics. I can’t control it,” she told Maverick. “We’re going down, Ria! We’re going in! We’re going in!” Elliot yells as the two watch their altitude begin to drop. “You can’t save it! Eject, eject!” Maverick ordered. “Eject, eject, eject!” Ria repeated, reaching down and grabbing the handles. The canopy blows. She and Denver are ejected one after the other seconds before their jet collides with the desert floor and explodes. Maverick watches the two chutes drift, seeing the past flash before his eyes... He pulls off his mask, shutting his eyes. He let out a shuddering breath before calling it in. “Maverick to tower. We have a plane down. Send a helo.”
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If you are investigating solar power systems, you may have heard of dissimilar types of solar inverters particularly single-phase and 3-phase inverters. Check out what essential things you should know about single-phase inverters?
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𝙁𝘼𝙈𝙄𝙇𝙔 𝙏𝙄𝙀𝙎
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗩𝗘: 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗩𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗔 𝗚𝗛𝗢𝗦𝗧
𝗦𝗬𝗡𝗢𝗣𝗦𝗜𝗦 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗡𝗘 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗢 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗜𝗫 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗡 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗩𝗘 | 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡
Top Gun: Maverick | Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Fem!OC
Also published on my Wattpad (-voidheroes)!
Admiral Bates stood in front of the trainees, "The uranium enrichment plant will be operational earlier than expected. Raw uranium will be delivered to the plant in ten days' time. As a result, the mission has moved up one week."
The seated aviators shared nervous glances. "Sir, no one here has successfully flown a low-level course," Coyote stated.
"Nevertheless, you've been ordered to move on."
Maverick took Admiral Bates's place in front of the aviators. "We have one week left to focus on phase two; it is the most difficult stage of the mission. It's a pop-up strike with a deep dive requiring nothing less than two consecutive miracles."
A simulation appeared on the screen behind Maverick. It showed the inverted dive that two single and two double F-18s would be required to make to reach the target.
"Your target is an impact point less than three meters wide. The two-seat aircraft will mark the target with the laser bullseye. This will allow the single to drop a guided bomb into the reactor through an exposed ventilation hatch. This creates the opening for the second pair. That's miracle number one. The second team will deliver the kill shot to destroy the target. That's miracle number two. If either team misses the target, the mission is a failure."
The screen behind Maverick changed to display the required steep climb out of the mountain, or as Maverick referred to it as, Coffin Corner.
"A climb at that speed will have you pulling at least 8 Gs," Hangman guessed.
"Nine. Minimum."
"The stress limit of an F-18 airframe is 7.5 Gs," Rooster noted.
"That is the accepted limit. To survive this mission, you will need to pull beyond that. Even if it means bending your airframe. You'll be pulling so hard, that you'll weigh close to two thousand pounds. Your skull will feel like it's crushing your spine and your lungs will implode like an elephant sitting on your chest, fighting with everything you have to keep from blacking out. And this is where you'll be most vulnerable."
Maverick pointed at Coffin Corner on the screen, "Assuming you avoid crashing into this mountain, you'll climb straight into enemy radar while losing all airspeed. Within seconds, you'll be fired upon by enemy SAMs. It'll be a dogfight all the way home."
Emerson studied the group around her. Legs bounced up and down nervously. Hands clasped together to stop from trembling. Beads of sweat gathered on their foreheads. The fear of not returning weighed heavily on their minds. Emerson entrusted Maverick with the ability to bring each of them home safely.
"This is going to take you and your aircraft to a breaking point."
"Sir, is this even achievable?" Phoenix asked the question on everyone's mind.
"The answer to that question will come down to the pilot in the box."
To test Maverick's theory, the pilots split off into teams of single and double F-18s. The first team was Coyote, Phoenix, and Bob. During their training, Coyote entered g-LOC which only panicked the following teams.
So far, no team had managed to hit the target. There was an overwhelming sense of failure amongst the group of pilots. The last team of the day consisted of Raven, Payback, and Fanboy. Payback and Fanboy were tasked with the laser bullseye for Raven's bomb. Raven's job was to trust her wingmen.
"That's a miss!" Raven groaned over the comms. It was official; no team could execute the first miracle of the mission.
Maverick's F-18 appeared beside Raven's, "Let's return— Bird strike! Bird strike!" Maverick maneuvered his jet around the incoming birds.
It was too late; Raven's F-18 took instant damage from the bird strike. The right engine light flashed rapidly, signaling the engine was on fire. Raven extinguished it like she was trained, but the left engine light followed promptly. She immediately extinguished the second engine fire, except it wasn't enough. Both engines failed. Raven's entire dash lit up like a Christmas tree while alarms and other warning sounds overcame the silence left by her dead engines. Both hands clasped her center flight stick. It was loose; she was dead in the air. There was no saving her plane.
"Raven, eject! Eject!" Maverick yelled through her comms.
Raven pulled strongly on the yellow loop below her. The canopy of her plane sprung open as she was airlifted out by parachute. She watched in the air as her plane crashed into the mountain near her and burst into flames.
✈︎ ✈︎ ✈︎ ✈︎ ✈︎
Maverick leaned against the doorway of Emerson's hospital room. She managed to walk away from the crash with only a few scrapes and a couple of bruised ribs. The doctors were going to keep her overnight for observation.
"You got any family I can call, kid?"
Emerson considered Maverick's odd choice of words. It wasn't like she was young, well she was younger than Maverick, but she was around the same age as the other pilots. She was only about four years younger than Bradley. Emerson didn't think she qualified for the nickname.
"My mom died several years ago."
Maverick crossed the room, "I'm sorry to hear that. Your father?" He sat in the seat beside her hospital bed.
"I'm sure he's out there somewhere."
He raised an eyebrow, hoping for further explanation.
"I don't know much about him, not even a name. My mom didn't like to talk about him. All she ever told me was that they met at a party in the eighties. He serenaded her with some stupid song while his Navy buddies sang backup. They ended up working together at Top Gun. They had a thing while he was there, but then he got shipped off as they all do. She said he was halfway around the world doing what he did best by the time she found out she was pregnant with me."
It felt like a ton of bricks just fell on Maverick. The ghost that had been haunting him for days was finally out of the shadows. He eyed Emerson; it was like looking in a mirror. Hell, she even flew just like him. It was all starting to make sense now. How was he supposed to keep her in the fight, knowing what he knew?
"I guess she didn't want to clip his wings, so she didn't bother to contact him. So, no, no family. Navy's all I got. It's all I've ever known; it's in my DNA. You got to keep me in the fight, Mav."
Maverick remained silent, trying to collect his thoughts. His face was contorted with a mix of emotions. "What is it, Mav? You look like you've seen a ghost." Emerson said, trying to settle the uneasiness that was beginning to form between the two.
Maverick recalled his past with Charlie Blackwood, the now mother of his child. They met the night of his first day at Top Gun back in 1986 when Goose and Maverick made a bet. To get her attention at the party, he decided to sing "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" to her when all the Navy men joined in. The next day, he had no idea she would be introduced as one of his Top Gun instructors. Charlie Blackwood was the first woman Maverick had ever loved, but Emerson was right. His love of flying sent him away. Maverick never even told Charlie goodbye. Truthfully, it was because he didn't even know where to start; he had never felt that way about anyone. Maverick wasn't considered the 'settle down' type. Would he have made that sacrifice if he had known Charlie was pregnant with his child?
"You've Lost That Loving Feeling," Maverick smiled, remembering the night vividly.
"What?"
"That was the song I sang Charlie, well before I knew she was Charlie, my instructor."
Emerson went wide-eyed, "No, that's—no—you're not—you can't be—" But who was she fooling? It clicked about why everything about Maverick felt familiar. She was looking at her own reflection; she was Pete Mitchell's daughter.
Bradley knocked on the open door of Emerson's hospital room, "Hey, Em—" He paused at the sight of the two. They looked like they were sharing a serious, intimate moment. "I can come back."
Maverick stood up, "No, I was just leaving." There he went again, leaving another Blackwood woman in a time of need. He passed Bradley in the doorway. Moments ago, back on base, the two had argued, but now, solemnly, Maverick whispered, "Take good care of her, Bradley," and walked down the hall.
Confused, Bradley looked over his shoulder at the departing man, but Maverick never turned back around. Bradley faced Emerson now; she wore a dazed expression. "Are you okay, Emmie?"
She looked at him, expression instantly changing, almost like she was trying to hide something from Bradley. "Just a few scrapes and bruised ribs. Nothing I can't handle." That was a lie. There was, in fact, something she could not handle and that was the truth about her father.
He sat in the chair beside her, "That's not what I meant."
"Oh, that. He was just asking if I had any family he could call. It just got me thinking about my mom."
Bradley's face softened, "Yeah, I've been thinking about my dad, too."
Emerson reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers, "Goose would be so proud of you, Bradley."
"I can't, I can't lose you too, Emmie. You're all I have left," he confessed.
Emerson scooted over and patted a spot on her bed, "Come here." Bradley crawled into the bed beside her. Emerson placed her hand on his cheek, "Listen to me, Bradley Bradshaw. I am right here. I'm not going anywhere. There is nothing in this world that could keep me from you."
Bradley rested his forehead against Emerson's, "How did I get lucky enough to find you?"
Emerson thought about it. With her new knowledge, it almost seemed like fate. Of course, the son of Goose and the daughter of Maverick would catch feelings.
Bradley could tell Emerson was still distracted, "Are you sure you're okay?" She didn't answer, still off in her thoughts. "Emmie?"
"Huh? Sorry."
"What were you and Maverick talking about? He's not pulling you from the mission because of this, is he?"
She searched his eyes, wondering how he would react to the truth, "He's my dad, Bradley."
He laughed, "Who? Maverick? You're kidding." Emerson's expression remained. "Oh shit, you're serious, Em." It was almost comical. The man he despised was the father of the woman he loved.
Tag List: @littlewhiterose @starkleila @alexayoonlee @lclove2012-blog
#top gun#topgun#top gun maverick#topgunmaverick#miles teller#milesteller#bradley bradshaw#bradleybradshaw#rooster#bradley rooster bradshaw#fanfiction#maverick#pete mitchell#tom cruise#jake seresin#jake hangman seresin#phoenix#top gun fanfiction#navy
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Love Reading 🎇 - April 2024 - Aquarius
Singles:
Who is Coming In: Page of Cups, The Devil, The Magician, 7 Swords
Regarding: The Tower
Long-Term Potential: 6 Pentacles
Someone is acting like they’ve changed, Phoenix would indicate this is probably someone you know as a damn liar 🤥 Tower, Ace of Swords rev & The World, so there was a lie that destroyed everything, blew it up into smithereens, the end. The Devil with The Magician and 7 Swords I’m just…this is one clever mfer. Sneaky. Strategic, everything they do and say has a motive behind it, they literally think they’re smarter than anyone around them - heavy ego energy. Smarter than you? 🤭 Or - they may have had a history of shady bs in the past, it’s been some time between you, and they’re coming back around. This is someone that could’ve been in prison for someone, Justice indicates law, they could’ve been involved with drugs or on them when you knew them. 2 Cups clarifies the toxicity, this may not have had anything to do with you at all but rather - their last relationship, a baby mama/daddy could be involved and you/they feel “bound” to them in that way, meaning you would have to deal with it too. This person was a liar and a player in the past, but I’m hearing “Jesus dined with thieves”, so you don’t judge. Not really. I looked that up and see “sinners” being the word actually used, but I specifically heard “thieves”, they could’ve been a thief or dated one, have friends that are, have just had something stolen recently idk. Somehow a thief is involved.
Long term potential is both of you giving what you’ve got to this connection, moving away from the drama, possibly putting some actual distance in between you and this toxic…thing…ex, druggie friends, old memories, whatever. Justice & 6 Pentacles would indicate maintaining balance between you is the top priority, whether you’re with them or not. Some probably aren’t, it’s the ex, but you’ll still be cordial and forgiving towards them. The Hanged Man rev indicate they’ve learned their lesson and have gained the necessary perspectives on things - Phoenix rises from the ashes. This is saying not to hold people’s pasts against them (within reason) if they’re proving they’re doing the work, and they do seem to be. If this was a sudden ending that’s staying ended, you could’ve just been like…no, and gave them the space to figure themselves out, have a nice life. They could be coming back around now.
Messages:
- You’re the perfect person for me 😍
- I want to approach you but don’t know HOW.
PHOENIX 🔥
- New Phase & Rekindle
- Renew & Growth
- Changed Mind
- Rise from Ashes
Signs you may be dealing with:
Aquarius, Pisces & Capricorn
Couples:
Them: Knight of Swords, 2 Wands, King of Cups rev
Regarding: Knight of Cups
I’m seeing a couple of different stories. One, if this is a long-time committed relationship, I’m seeing a typical male/female conflict of the man thinks it’s his job to mow grass, work, and control everything, and the woman is over here with 10 Wands and the responsibility of literally everything on her shoulders - doing too much. Even working herself 💯 like “scuse you buttercup, grab a sponge 🧽.” Doesn’t have to be these genders, it just describes the dynamic between you, of any gender.
If not that, then this may be someone you’re casually seeing that’s not only stating but *demanding* a commitment from you, and you would have other options on the table besides just this person. You’re showing up as the Cups pair, with this person inverted, manipulative, extremely emotional, not the most mature energy. The Emperor rev is a controlling fkhead as well…Knight of Cups being loving actions, so their actions show up as loving, teamwork, we’re in this together, Knight of Swords is dictating what steps need to be taken to achieve xyz…verbally, in a controlling or manipulative sort of way - or that’s their intent. I don’t like this energy, it’s coercive and slimy, because they act like they’re being honest and a straight shooter - but are not actually at all. Words and actions show two different things. Or that’s exactly what they’re pointing out about you, because you’re the one with secrets, options, sudden silent treatments. If you’ve been dating or entertaining someone for awhile and suddenly go ghost 👻, they definitely have something to say about it, or they don’t appreciate being treated as casual, that wasn’t their intent. You don’t seem to have been clear with your own intentions. I do see them being extremely pushy & manipulative, and you’re quiet to avoid that bs. This can also show something going on for a long time that this person refuses to handle or do something about, and you’ve been silent thus far.
Messages:
- Unrealistic Expectations
- STATUS 😎
CUPID’S ARROW 💘
- Have Faith
- Love is Coming
- Surprise Invitation
- Struck by Love
Let go of the helm of life, and let the current pull you in your chart’s direction.
You: Queen of Cups, The High Priestess, 10 Wands
Regarding: 7 Cups
The cards describing your character are very kind, possibly empathic, and it’s like you’re on to this person’s game. They’re increasingly frustrated that you’re not speaking…your mind, what you want, how you feel, etc., and you know that is because this is a coercive and pushy person. Like back the fuck off, yeah? You’re not allowing them space to dictate your decisions, not with guilt, intimidation, aggression, emotions, you don’t give af. You are confused though, you don’t know what you want, something may have happened suddenly that puts a lot of pressure on you, a disaster or some *right now* sort of thing, whether that’s regarding this person or not, and it’s like not only do you not trust this person, but you have no time for their bullshit either so…hope they have a nice day 👻 Date shows you being casual, looking at your options, and this cups energy in you feels like actually sorting through your feelings. ALONE. Because you need to. You can’t make decisions until you know what you want, and you can’t know what *YOU* want so long as some person is dictating what you should want, feel, or do, via the world according to them. There could also have been some sort of episode where this person acted in a very negative way, and you’ve kinda shut down and started questioning everything. In that case, it’s a new beginning with this person that you question. Or whether someone else might be better for you altogether - no matter how deep this connection has been. This relationship may feel like work more than love. At least right now.
Messages:
- Really Tall
- Considerate
DATE 🥂
- Get Back Out There
- Meeting Someone New
- Setting a Date
- Date Online
To keep yourself from becoming an empath - that is, absorbing the pain of others - keep mirrors around you that deflect negativity.
Mutual: 10 Pentacles rev, The Hanged Man rev, The Moon
Regarding: The Lovers rev
I mean this kinda feels like a realization that the two of you just aren’t on the same page. I see clarity & truth here, but no swords, none of the necessary information or clarity that would provide that truth - and that’s why The Moon is here. You both come to your own solutions on things rather than talking them out, maybe you/they have tried before to no avail. A breakup could be on the horizon, or if you’ve already ended something, this could just be validating your experience. If you’ve had other options and this person was under the impression they were it, it’s not going well. If you have several options and they’re trying to manipulate your decisions, that won’t either. I see apologies being held back on both sides, two stubborn betches holding tightly onto their point of view and probably preferring to be apart rather than together. Because of the Cups pair, it may have been tossed around that someone thought they were a soulmate, and you’re (both) realizing now that no, this isn’t the one for you. At least not in this way as it stands.
For the couple fighting over who does what or trying to control who has what job and other such petty shit - it’s being said that both people could stand to walk in their partner’s shoes & to see things from their perspective, or this dynamic won’t/can’t improve.
SWORD & ROSE 🗡️🌹
Clarity & Truth
Revelations
Honor & Protection
Determination
Be careful that negativity doesn’t lodge in your body. Visualize a green light around you for protection.
Signs you may be dealing with:
Cancer, Aries, Scorpio, Virgo, Pisces & Gemini
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