Mak laughed as he set to work. When Fieran arrived, he fell right into the friendly banter they’d always had. Before too long, Pretty Face joined them with paints and brushes and grand plans for the nose art.
It wasn’t the same without Merrik. But Pip wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else.
Fieran tookin the gleaming Defenders as the ground crew wheeled them into the hangar. Pip and the other mechanics directed each aeroplane into its spot.
“I’m in love.” Pretty Face leaned against the wing of his new aeroplane, as if embracing it.
“Me too.” Stickyfingers had climbed into the cockpit of his new aeroplane, and he was now caressing the twin machine guns with a slightly maniacal gleam in his eyes.
The other flyboys were similarly acquainting themselves with their new aeroplanes. At least none of them seemed as sad as they had an hour ago when they’d said farewell to their old flyers. The shiny, brand-new aeroplanes had quickly won them over.
Outside, the whine of aeroplanes taking off filled the air as the auxiliary pilots took off in the old aeroplanes to take them back to Fort Linder for use as training flyers. No one even looked up to watch their old aeroplanes disappear, each one sporting elf ears and “with love from the Half-Breed Squadron” painted on the side. Fieran hadn’t seen Pretty Face’s handiwork until it had been too late to change it.
“You’re going to paint new art on my aeroplane, right, Pretty Face?” Tiny patted his aeroplane.
“Yeah, got to make sure the Mongavarians know the Half-Breed Squadron is still in town,” one of the other flyboys called out from across the bay.
Other flyboys shouted out their suggestions for artwork. Some wanted the same thing they had before. Others wanted something completely new.
With the march of boots on cement, Lt. Busher strode into the hangar bay, followed by four female pilots dressed in the army-green uniform and their hair in tight buns at the back of their heads.
Those would be his new recruits. Fieran crossed the hangar before Lt. Busher drew more attention. The last thing the new recruits needed was to be mobbed by the whole squadron on their first day.
From somewhere behind him, one of his flyboys started to wolf-whistle before the sound was smothered. When Fieran shota glance over his shoulder, he spotted Pretty Face of all people pressing a hand over a flyboy’s mouth and giving him a lecture on how to treat women.
“Capt. Laesornysh.” Lt. Busher and the four pilots came to attention. When Fieran gave them leave to stand at ease, the adjutant gestured behind him and rattled off the pilots’ names.
Fieran grinned and took in the four women. One appeared to be in her thirties while the other three were younger. From the paperwork he’d been sent, all four of them had been aviatrices or barnstormers before joining the Flying Corps. The other squadrons were missing out, taking the rather untrained male recruits. “Welcome to the Half-Breed Squadron. I’m your captain, and you’ll be serving in Flight B. Lt. Daemaer?”
Lingering by the door as she had been, Aylia jumped to join them, already grinning. “Yes, sir?”
“Please show our four newest pilots to their quarters and give them the tour of the hangar and Fort Defense.” Fieran nodded from Aylia to the four pilots.
“With pleasure.” Aylia grinned back, as if she’d been waiting for just that. She leaned closer to the pilots. “I’m so happy we’ll have more females in the squadron. We’ve been a little outnumbered. Come on, I’ll show you to our barracks.”
The four new pilots trailed after Aylia as she led them toward the nearest door to the outside.
“Are those the new recruits?” Lije spoke from just behind Fieran.
Fieran jumped and spun, only to find Lije, Stickyfingers, and Pretty Face lined up behind him.
“It sure is going to be nice to have a few more women in the squadron.” Pretty Face’s eyes tracked something behind Fieran, as if he was still watching Aylia and the new pilots.
Fieran wagged a finger at him. “Don’t even think about flirting with any of them. They’re your colleagues as much as any other pilot.”
When Pretty Face didn’t stop looking, Stickyfingers punched his arm. “You’d think you would’ve learned after Fieran’s cousin punched you. Just remember. You like your nose as it is.”
“Right.” Pretty Face ran his fingers over his nose as if checking that it was still straight.
Fieran could only shake his head. The four new pilots would change the dynamics of the squadron, that was for certain. But he wasn’t sure that would be a bad thing.
Fieran trailedat the back of the group of flyboys as Tiny led the way with eager steps through the new dirt streets spreading out from the river. The buildings of Defense City were even more ramshackle than Little Aldon had been since most lumber and steel had been requisitioned for expansions on Fort Defense. The civilians here had to make do with the castoffs.
This was the first pass he’d had since returning to Fort Defense over a week ago. Not that he’d done much to deserve time off just yet. He and the Half-Breed Squadron had been patrolling the skies over Fort Defense, leaving the duty of escorting the new bomber aeroplanes on runs into Mongavaria to the other two squadrons. The longer patrols guarding the border had been almost entirely turned over to the airships and to additional Flying Corps squadrons now operating out of newly formed aerodromes.
This leave was especially disappointing because Pip had to stay behind while she, Mak, and the other mechanics worked toinstall the synchronization gears in the new Defenders. Fieran had offered to stay behind with her, but she’d shooed him off.
Without Pip at his side and without Merrik, he drifted, hands in his pockets, letting Tiny and the others direct their path and fill the silence with chatter.
