Starlight :||: Duty. Family. Honor. #1

Chapter Twelve

Honor
John helped me open a bottle of champagne, which we sprayed all over the boys gathered around us. People laughed and clapped as everyone was soaked. I handed John glasses and we handed them out to everyone. My father appeared beside me the same time John placed a glass of champagne in my hand. He immediately took it and replaced it with the tall ice water he'd been bringing me.

"Thank you," I mouthed silently, turning back to the boys and their dramatics.

There were a bunch of congratulations and multiple photo opportunities with everyone. Wolfman and Sundown were trying to get second, third, fourth, and fifth alternates out of a tipsy Jester.

Ice appeared beside me, wrapping his arm around my waist, glancing at my water. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," I nodded and smiled. "Twelve weeks, first trimester."

"Yeah, only another twenty-eight to go." He rolled his eyes.

A laugh escaped my lips. "I explicitly remember you being overly excited about this. You're telling me now that you're not?"

"Of course, I am," He kissed my temple. "And I'm glad we're past twelve weeks, that means the pregnancy is safer right?"

I nodded. "It doesn't mean we're one hundred per cent, a lot can go wrong but it is a good sign."

He grinned, dipping his head low to press a few quick kisses to my lips before we returned to the partying boys around us. The crowd began to part, the boys nodded and shaking the pilot's hand as he made his way towards us. Maverick appeared in front of me, shaking John's hand and offering me his but I brought him into a hug. "I'm glad you're here, Maverick."

He squeezed my waist gently. "Glad to be here, thought I might have missed it. Congratulations, by the way." Pete grinned as we pulled apart.

"Thank you."

"Gentlemen!" My father shouted above the celebrating party, silencing them instantly. "And lady. I hate to break up the party before it's really begun but some of you have to depart immediately. We have a crisis situation."

The crowd went even more silent, Jester stepping forward with a handful of memos in hand. "Lieutenant Commander Metcalf," He called in his deep voice and I stepped forward taking the note. "You've been assigned squadron leader, you will be leading the mission aboard the USS Enterprise. Iceman, Slider, Boardman and Maverick will be going with you."

"Yes, sir," All of us answered.

"Maverick," Mike spoke up. "You'll get your RIO when you get to the ship. If not, give me a call, I'll fly with you."

"Sir," Mav nodded in gratitude.

My father then looked at me. "Stay safe, Honor."

"Yes, sir," I grinned and began walked around the pool. "Iceman! Slider! Eagle-Eye! Maverick! With me, let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The small group of us who'd come from California were on board and suited up within twenty-four hours. The Enterprise had been out in the Indian Ocean and had taken us most of the night to get to. The first thing I had done when I'd landed, was not head to bunks and sleep but meet the rest of my flight crew, pilots, RIOs and the crew on deck who were awake.

"Lady and Gentlemen, this is bulls-eye," I sat in the front row, Eagle beside me as Stinger, the Commander Air Group of the Enterprise, debriefed us. "The communication ship SS Layton has become disabled and has wandered into foreign territory. A rescue operation is to begin within the hour. Your mission is to give air support to that rescue. There are MiGs in the area and tensions are high. If you witness a hostile act, you will return fire. Those MiGs carry the Exocet anti-ship missile. They can fire that missile from a hundred miles away. This is the real thing, this is what you've been trained for. The mission will be lead by your squadron leader, Lieutenant Commander Metcalf, callsign Starlight."