When the lieutenant colonel and wing commander had finished setting out the mission, the transmission ended.
What came next was naturally the business of each group's leaders and squadron leaders.
Zhao Chen turned and looked at the fighter pilots in the ready room.
"I won't repeat the mission. You should all have heard it clearly just now. The wing commander set it out plainly. Here I will stress only one thing. Obey orders, follow command."
Zhao Chen's face was grave. "I know this mission is very hard, nine parts death to one of life, one might say. Nor will I make you any guarantees. But I tell you this. I will do everything I can to bring you all back!"
At their leader's last words,
the old hands in the ready room felt as though they had swallowed a steadying draught.
So long as their leader said it, they seemed to have something solid at their backs.
For since the Eighteenth Squadron was raised, Squadron Leader Zhao Chen had always kept what he promised.
The time that followed.
Was naturally spent waiting.
Waiting for the order to launch.
Soon the three green lamps above the ready-room door turned amber.
Everyone in the Eighteenth Squadron's ready room drew a deep breath and waited for the last moment.
Tick.
The first amber lamp turned red.
This time every heart lurched.
What must come, always comes.
The second and third amber lamps soon turned red as well.
Zhao Chen's voice rang out: "Eighteenth Squadron, all hands, make ready to launch and fight!"
"Yes!" came the answer from the room.
Soon those who had received launch orders left their seats.
But before walking out, each stopped before Zhao Chen and saluted him,
as though saluting their guardian spirit.
By degrees it had become a custom of the Eighteenth Squadron.
Because this guardian-spirit leader would bring them home safe!
The room, which had been full, soon grew emptier and emptier.
At last, when Zhao Chen's own name lit,
there were still over a hundred left in the room.
Zhao Chen saw his launch order, put on his helmet, and walked toward the door.
Behind him came the sound of footsteps in unison.
Zhao Chen looked back and saw the remaining members all on their feet, saluting him.
These fellows.
The corners of Zhao Chen's mouth turned up a little, and he waved a careless hand.
Half a month it had been, but this squadron he had built with his own hands.
Zhao Chen had come by degrees to feel for it.
And for these green lads he felt something like watching one's own children.
Besides, they were all men, unlike his time with the Owl Dragon, where Zhao Chen had deliberately kept a distance from his subordinates.
With these men, if one was the least disobedient, Zhao Chen would plant a boot on his backside,
without the least ceremony.
And at their leader's scoldings, the ones who caught it would only grin foolishly every time.
It was a wholly different sort of air.
Zhao Chen walked to his fighter.
Repaired now.
DK9566.
As chance would have it, the bay beside Zhao Chen's was Lieutenant Zhang's.
Seeing Zhao Chen, Lieutenant Zhang held out a fist with a smile.
"See you after."
"See you after." Zhao Chen bumped his fist.
Then made ready to board.
Zhao Chen looked at his fighter.
Its livery was plainly a little different from the others'.
That came wholly of Zhao Chen's special standing.
Here, if your rank was high enough, you could 'customize' your fighter to some degree.
Improving certain modules' performance, for instance.
So within a flight the craft might all be the same model, but a superior's would have certain modules rebuilt and upgraded,
and perform some 10% to 30% better than a standard fighter.
Do not think little of that margin.
Such an improvement costs a great deal in resources, so only those of standing and rank may have it done.
And that small margin truly can give them more chances on the battlefield!
Besides improving his fighter's performance,
Zhao Chen had also altered its livery a little.
By the rules they might alter 30% of the airframe's surface.
Zhao Chen had added some gold, and the gold formed the figure of a dragon.
When people had asked, Zhao Chen said he liked dragon patterns.
So Zhao Chen's fighter was, one might say, one of a kind.
The arrangement had a practical reason too.
Namely that friendly craft could tell at a glance whether their leader was present.
It served as a standard does.
But it had a drawback as well.
It might make him the enemy's first target.
Though that in turn lessened the threat to the newer pilots in his flight.
So every arrangement has two sides.
But to return to the matter at hand.
Zhao Chen climbed into his fighter.
"Old friend. We're off again." Zhao Chen looked over everything familiar in the cockpit.
He had flown this craft a month now, all told.
And Zhao Chen had come to feel something for it.
As for a comrade-in-arms!
The ground crew waved their little flags ahead.
Signaling that the fighter was about to leave the bay.
Then the lift carried the fighter out to the flight deck.
After a brief darkness,
Zhao Chen saw the stars outside, and the fighters appearing one after another on the deck.
They 'bloomed' outward like a goddess scattering flowers.
"DK9566, launching."
Zhao Chen flew his fighter off.
"Squadron Leader, we're here." His deputy's voice came over the channel.
Zhao Chen looked at the radar chart and could see every fighter of his Eighteenth Squadron.
Because this was a special mission,
there would be only one wave of attack.
So each squadron was allowed to gather fully before setting out.
Zhao Chen's fighter slid into the Eighteenth Squadron's formation.
Before long every fighter of the Eighteenth Squadron had gathered.
"Eighteenth Squadron, all present. Prepare to set out. Use flight formation C3," Zhao Chen said on the channel.
"Received, formation C3."
The Eighteenth Squadron knew their leader's habits of command thoroughly by now.
Soon nearly four hundred fighters had taken the formation Zhao Chen wanted.
And began flying on the heading given.
Zhao Chen's fighter took the lead in front.
That was Zhao Chen's habit.
He was always at the very front of the charge,
so that every member could see his craft.
And with its gold livery, it was like a golden dragon soaring through the stars!