The French Flyers

Posted on Sat Feb 21st, 2026 @ 1:13pm by Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake' & Ensign Grace MacKenzie 'Sabre'

2,632 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Flight Of The Valkyries
Location: Tokyo Flight Deck
Timeline: March 12th, 2397

The trio of pilots were in formation as they sauntered through the doors of the flight deck, eyes scanning the deck in disgust as they saw the racks of Valkyries prepped for flight operations and the deck that was bustling with activity. While the one clearly in the leading position cast his eyes around for someone who appeared to be in charge, the other two were searching elsewhere as if they had misplaced something and needed to find it. All three were wearing Kepi hats, two in white banded with black, the leader in black banded in white. On their flight suits, the French tricolor flag was prominent on the right shoulder, a series of ribbons on their left chest festooned with medals and awards.

It took a few minutes of strolling along before the leader finally spotted someone that had more than a pip and a half, but he stopped as one hand nudged him and the one on the left pointed halfway across the flight deck. They whispered for a few seconds before they continued on towards the full Lieutenant who was the most senior officer visible. The leader of the group wore the oak leaf that signified a Major's rank and the nametag on his right chest read 'Lamont'. He clicked his heels together as he cleared his throat while all but towering over her from his six foot height, "Lieutenant, I am Commandant Lamont of the starship De Gaulle, Wing Commander. Are you by chance the flight group leader of this ship?"

Fubuki turned around to see who was talking to her. She had been made aware that the Tokyo was being visited by other pilots. She had found the request a little unusual, but the Tokyo was well equipped to cater for all sorts of Starfighters. She looked the Commander up and down. "You know how to sniff out a girl huh..." she said with a mischievous smile. "I'm Snowflake, the CAG around these parts. I must say, it is a little out of the ordinary to request a pitstop on another ship..." she tilted her head to one side slightly. "You are here for a pit-stop right?"

"Pardon, Madame." The pilot stated, irked that he had to look downwards to, "Perhaps I was not clear or there is some confusion, we were assigned to the Foch before we were ambushed by the Iconian Heralds and destroyed. We managed to survive the engagement and withdrew before we were reassigned to the De Gaulle." He took a glance over in the direction his adjutant had pointed in previously, "We have been made aware that another of our flight group was picked up by the Tokyo, one Ensign Grace McKenzie. Is she actually here?"

"We picked up Ensign McKenzie yes." Snowflake replied. "She's been very helpful, although her flying could use some work in some places. She's adjusted well to the Tokyo, this flight deck can be overwhelming at first." she explained. "Why do you ask about her? It was logged that she was recovered..."

"Which is why we are here." He commented, "Would you be so kind as to summon her, Lieutenant?" The smile on his face had something else to it, a sense of smarminess that seemed to infuse his entire being as he put his arms behind his back in a superior stance, "We are, after all, her unit and are here to retrieve her to rejoin us back on De Gaulle."

"Yeah..." Snowflake started before cutting herself off. "No." She looked him square in the eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "You can't just land on someone else's flight deck and start making demands. Plus, Ensign McKenzie is a person, not some object."

"Of course she is." Lamont agreed, making a gesture behind his back to his subordinates, "However she made a commitment that she must honor, Madame Lieutenant, and I am sure that you would agree that we should follow through whenever a promise is made?" His hand returned again with a small PADD, "Here is her commissioning document and sworn oath to join the Légion étrangère for a period of five years barring the needs of exigency and need. You can verify the thumbprint is hers and it is attached to her personnel file. The Ensign still has nearly three more years to serve. You can even ask her yourself, if you would be so kind as to summon her here."

Fubuki scowled at the much taller pilot. She took the PADD and her eyes darted from left to right as she consumed the contents. "Who makes these sort of contracts anyways?" she questioned. She then tapped the comm badge on her chest. "Snowflake to McKenzie. You know, we should get you a call sign... Anyways. Can you come to the flight deck. Some... friends... of yours want to see if you want to go play out."

"Ah'm on my way, ma'am." The perky voice of Grace came over the comm, "Ah'm about a hundred meters out." The voice cut off as she closed the circuit.

The Frenchman made another gesture behind his back and his two fellow pilots backed away by a fair bit, almost as if they were anticipating that there would be conflict with the incoming pilot and were getting ready to cover any escape routes that may be taken. "We are very particular about who joins our flight group," Lamont explained as they waited, "Some pilots are squeamish about making a commitment to remain with us, but we have a tradition to uphold and if they refuse to sign on, we send them on their way. The Légion is a bond, a brotherhood that stands with each other, always."

Snowflake recrossed her arms and smirked. "Oh is that right?" she replied sarcastically.

"Snowflake?" The voice was hesitant as Grace stopped several meters away on the flight deck, eyeing the other pilots askance as she recognized first the Kepis and then the insignia on their uniforms, her face slowly going pale, "C-Commandant Lamont, monsieur?" She asked as she took one more hesitant step closer, "Ah thought the rest of the Group didn't make it when Foch went up?"

"Apparently, these are here to... How did you phrase it again. 'retrieve' you." Snowflake said as her arms remained crossed and a scowl on her face. "However, the last time I checked, you were assigned here." she then held out the PADD to Grace. "Did you actually sign this thing?"

One glance at the PADD finished any sort of coherence in Grace's look, because she didn't have to see anything other than the French flag on it to know exactly what it was, "Y-yes, we were all made to do so when we arrived on Foch." She couldn't lie, not when the proof was right under her nose, "Ah didn't at first, so they separated me from the other pilots and informed me Ah would be sent to a garbage scow since Ah didn't want to be a real fighter pilot. Ah was kept in a room by myself along with an officer that kept haranguin' me, tellin' me Ah was a disgrace and wasn't worthy of bein' in Starfleet, that Ah would be court martialed for cowardice." Her eyes flew to Snowflake, "Ah signed it after a night of not gettin' any sleep and the constant... Ah didn't want to, but Ah didn't have a choice."

"There was always a choice, Ensign." Lamont stated imperiously, taking a step forward, causing Grace to flinch back, "Attencion, Legionnaire!" He growled, her instinct forcing her to straighten her back to attention, "Quel est l'deuxime article du Code?" He snapped at her.

This was one of the first things that had been drilled and beaten into each of the new recruits, learned by heart and woe to the pilot who couldn't repeat it at the demand, "Each legionnaire is your brother in arms whatever his nationality, his race, or his religion might be. You show him the same close solidarity that links the members of the same family, Monsieur!" She snapped out.

"Trois?" He added, glancing at Fubuki.

"Respect for traditions, devotion to your leaders, discipline, and comradeship are your strengths, courage, and loyalty your virtues, Monsieur!" Grace barked, shaking like a leaf as she did so.

"And you have broken those Articles by not checking in earlier, Legionnaire!" He snapped in response, anger and disgust in his voice, before turning his attention back to Fubuki, "As you can see, Madame Lieutenant, she belongs with us on De Gaulle." He snapped his fingers to indicate he wanted the PADD back from her, "We will take her from here."

Snowflake glared at him, her eyes like daggers. "You want this back?" she said her voice low and threatening. She dropped it to the deck and with one swift motion slammed the heel of her boot through its screen shattering it. A few tiny sparks flew out of the PADD as the impact crushed the device.

"Thats what I say to that!" she said. "Its very clear that she signed this piece of crap after being forced to by you only because you bullied her into it!" Snowflake growled. She locked eyes with Lamont. "We don't do that shit around here. That may have be perfectly fine on the Foch, or whatever ship you're on now. But that doesn't fly here!"

"I won't have you bully one of MY pilots! You do not give the orders here on this deck. I DO." Her face was starting to flush slightly as she took a step forward towards Lamont, closing the gap between them so they were in each others personal space. "I don't give a flying FUCK who you are, what rank you are or what sort of bullshit traditions you splurt out of that mouth. You have come here and quite frankly pissed me and everyone on this flight deck off." She glanced around. Already the flight deck crew and some of the Tokyo's pilots were looking on, watching what was happening.

"She is part of the Legion, Madame Lieutenant." Lamont interrupted haughtily, "She is not one of your pilots."

"Now you have three options here." she held up three fingers. "You either suck it up and get the hell off of my flight deck after apologising to Grace and Myself and never come back." she lowered one finger. "I have ships security drag your sorry asses to the brig and you'll be explaining all this to Captain Aisaka and the JAG." she lowered another finger. "Or, you do this the old fashioned way. Like they used to do back on Earth."

Snowflake paused. "Three on three. Weapons on training mode. We fight for it like honour demands. If you didn't realise, I'm Japanese in origin. I'm not backing down from someone who comes from a place known for surrendering and losing battles!" she lowered her last finger.

"So, whats it going to be?"

Lamont gestured once more and his two pilots closed up on him again and his eyes raked over Grace as she still stood there at attention, her face clearly holding back tears as she dry-sobbed while trying to remain completely skill. His eyes dared her to object to anything he said and she couldn't. "I do not recognize your authority to deny me the pilot that belongs to me." He stated without emotion, "But one does not accuse the Legion of cowardice. We have a tradition of not retreating in the Légion étrangère, so I demand you retract your accusation. If you look up Battle of Camarón, Madame Lieutenant, you may change your mind."

He let those words sit for a few seconds before snorting in derision, "But because you desire to be barbaric in your traditions, coming from a nation of barbarians, we can do it your way. Pick two of your pilots, this one here if you want her so much, and we will be ready and waiting." Lamont snapped his fingers once more, "And once we defeat you, Ensign McKenzie will return with us to complete her contract."

"You're on." Fubuki growled at him her eyes still narrowed at him and her fists now clenched. She glanced over her shoulder. "Grace, for crying out loud relax. He can't give you orders here." she said simply before turning back to Lamont. "We'll meet you in space. I'll send you the details once I've sorted it. Now get the hell off of my flight deck."

"We will be awaiting your presence. Michel, Andre, let us be rid of the stench of this place." His eyes went back to Grace, "Start packing, Legionnaire McKenzie. We will be expecting you as soon as the combat is complete." He spun on his heel and walked between his subordinates as they fell in line behind him, leaving the area.

As they walked off, Grace finally released from her attention and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as the terror of the encounter threatened to consume her.

"And don't come back!" Snowflake called after them before turning to Grace. "I hate arrogant assholes like them." she muttered as her fingernails dug into her palms. She took a step over to Grace and placed a single hand on her shoulder, her grip was soft yet relaxed.

Looking down she gave Grace a smile. "Don't worry Grace. We'll beat them, and if you want to stay here. I'll make sure that happens. I'm also going to expose them for what they've done to you. People like that don't deserve to be in Starfleet. You're safe as long as you're here with us..." She paused. "Well... As safe as can be in the middle of a war..."

"Ah can't go back, Ah can't go back." Grace gasped out from her hands and knees, "Ah'll jump out an airlock before Ah go back with them." Her stare at the ground was completely unfocused, then she looked up at the older pilot, "Ah'm no coward, Snowflake, really Ah'm not!" She was blinking back tears rapidly, completely unsure of her emotions, "Ah swear that Ah didn't want to sign that thing, but they made it so easy to do it just to stop the... The.." Tears finally began to escape her.

Snowflake didn't respond immediately. Instead she lowered herself down to the ground crouching in front of Grace. Gently she pulled her in, wrapping her arms around her and holding her firmly but also softly like she was a young child seeking comfort. She whispered into her ear as she embraced her. "And you don't have to... Because I'm not letting them take you."

One of Snowflakes hands reached back towards her own chest and tapped her comm badge. "Clear the flight deck." She said simply. The sound of the onlooking pilots and deck crew moving towards the exits echoed around them, and after a few short moments there was nothing but the sounds of Grace sobbing.

"Let it out Grace." Snowflake whispered into her ear.

It was as if the presence of the French pilots had opened wounds that had had been forgotten because they had been thought to be gone. The heaving of Grace McKenzies shoulders as every emotion she'd kept bottled up ever since arriving came out. The sadness, the fear, the sheer terror of having to go back to where she'd been before as she did what Fubuki had asked.

Posting by:

Lieutenant Fubuki Kuchikukan 'Snowflake'
Commander Air Group
USS Tokyo

Ensign Grace MacKenzie
Starfighter Pilot
USS Tokyo

Major Bernard Lamonte
Commander Air Group
USS Charles De Gaulle

Captain Michel Florent
Squadron Commander
USS Charles De Gaulle

Lieutenant Andre Chestral
Starfighter Pilot
USS Charles De Gaulle

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