The Vipers - An Azur Lane Story

Prelude

September 2nd 2022 08:30 Hours

It had been four years since Dante was assigned to the 13th Fighter Squadron. The Air Force had been going to a pilot shortage since the 2010s and it had only gotten worse in the 2020s. Even with the pilot shortage, the slots for fighters was still quite competitive and Dante found himself ending up with fighters when all was said and done after he had graduated from college.

Dante had originally wanted to fly the F-22 but because of the needs of the service he was assigned to the F-16 Fighting Falcon which was better than flying the heavies. After finishing his basic training he would soon come to meet his fellow pilots who he would soon come to call his brother and his wingman, Stanley Earl Haye a Japanese American loudmouthed prankster from Hawaii. Originally, Dante desired to follow in his father's footsteps who was an F-4E pilot along with his grandfather who was a pilot from the famous 332nd Fighter Group more famously known as the Tuskeegee Airmen and Earl's father was an F-117 pilot and his grandfather served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in the Second World War.

The duo would be assigned to the 35th Fighter Wing stationed at Misawa Air Force Base in the Japanese mainland. For their first mission they would be flying with a group of F-15Js on a routine patrol exercise.

"How long you think this flight's gonna take?" Earl asked.

"We should be there just in time for dinner." Dante said.

"Good, they're serving double bacon burgers."

"Are you gonna pick up any souvenirs for your sister when we head back to Cali?" Dante asked.

"She'd murder me in my sleep if I didn't. She's been begging me to get an autographed picture of Jisoo."

"Uhhhh who?"

"One of the girls from that K-Pop band Black Pink."

"So you're sister's into K-pop....shiiiit bruh!" Dante laughed, "My cousin loves it too...but she at least wants me to get her an album! That hella easy."

"Panther 1." The AWACS ordered.

"Everything is in the green, Darkstar." Dante said, "What about you, Panther 2?"

"All good, Snooze."

"We're operating at the bare minimum so we've gotta work a bit harder." Earl said.

Dante switched the comms to a closed channel so the duo could speak with one another without the AWACS listening in.

"You know one thing I wish these Vipers had?" Earl asked.

"What?" Dante replied.

"Harpoon capability. I mean think about it...wouldn't it be great to curb stomp some of those Chinese ships? That would bruise some Navy egos." Earl fantasized.