Raven One - страница 7

Wilson thought of Saint immediately as he ran a razor under the water. What bullshit crisis is it going to be today? Dental readiness report? Scratched tile on the deck? He didn’t technically work for Saint, but because the XO was a heartbeat from command and well-connected at the wing staff — and a senior officer — you didn’t mess with him. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Three bags full. Wilson shaved in silence and switched his thoughts to his upcoming day.

At nearly 1,100 feet long, Valley Forge was one of the largest warships afloat, a Nimitz class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of twelve U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Below deck, Happy Valley, as the crew referred to her, was a fluorescent world of overhead pipes, electrical cables, and steel bulkheads with strange number and letter combinations. Damage control equipment was spaced at intervals and oval openings, called “knee knockers,” were cut into the steel frames. Yellow battle lanterns hung above the openings. The air smelled of fresh paint and machine oil, accented by sweat-soaked flight gear and the odor of jet fuel. The ship was a maze of right angles that provided a heart-pumping workout comprised of 18 decks of ladders — from bilge to tower. She now plowed through the Indian Ocean on her way to the location the Washington leadership had deemed she was needed: the northern Persian Gulf where she could launch close air support missions to support American forces on the ground in Iraq, hundreds of miles inland. For this purpose she was at her full combat load-out of over 100,000 tons.

The Ravens lived in Ready Room 7, located aft one deck beneath the flight deck’s arresting wires. Ready 7 was situated between Ready 8, which housed the Spartans, who made up the two-seat FA-18F Super Hornet squadron, and the Marine squadron, and Ready 6, which housed the Moonshadows who flew older Hornets like the Ravens. Despite the common bond of service and having some individual friends in the Spartans, Wilson and most of VFA-64 liked and hung out with the marines, who shared the same airframe. The marines also joined in with the rest of the wing with their collective disdain for the arrogant and imperious Spartans of VFA-91 and their brand-new Super Hornet jets. With not a little scorn, most of them referred to the Spartans as “the girls next door.”

Located amidships in Ready 3, the remaining Hornet squadron aboard Valley Forge was the Buccaneers of VFA-47. Like the Ravens, they also flew the FA-18C, and the two squadrons were known as “sister squadrons.” These two squadrons were the only two of the eight aboard that were mirror images of each other, all reporting to the Commander of Carrier Air Wing Four, known as the CAG. As “sisters,” friendly, and sometimes not-so-friendly, competition was a part of their daily lives. The Ravens—from the Skipper down to the airman swabbing a passageway — wanted to outfly, outbomb, and generally outperform the Bucs in every area, and vice versa. In conversation, each squadron regarded the other as “Brand X.”

Before going to lunch, Wilson opened the rear door of the ready room. His eyes immediately focused on the back of the XO’s head in his front-row seat. The room was quiet now as most of the pilots were at lunch up forward. The squadron colors were blue and black, and each chair had a blue cover with black trim. The design depicted the squadron emblem — a black raven silhouette, wings outstretched as if swooping in for the kill. The image was simple, yet menacing, and a familiar tradition in carrier aviation over four major wars. Behind their backs, however, many in Carrier Air Wing Four and the fleet sarcastically referred to VFA-64 as the Crows.

Here it comes, Wilson thought. He grabbed a cup of water and made his way between the two groups of high-backed leather chairs to his own front-row seat.

“Hey, Olive,” he said to the duty officer. Lieutenant Kristen “Olive” Teel wore khakis and sat at the duty officer console. Behind her was a status board with the day’s flight schedule, each pilot’s name written in grease pencil in bold capital letters.