Kara Bradshaw and her older brother Nick are quite easily some of the best Naval Aviators in the country, alongside her RIO and his pilot.
After an incident with one of their fellow pilots onboard the carrier, they are given a once in a lifetime opp...
Tom noticed this and followed her gaze, only for him to turn back to her with a charming smile. "I'll see you later." He said and excused himself from the presence of the pilot and her RIO.
As Tom had disappeared into the crowd, Nick made his way over to the duo. "What was that about?" He asked.
Kara shrugged. "Nothing." She replied. "He just wanted to formally introduce himself."
Nick paused for a moment and exchanged a look with his sister's RIO. "Oh?" He quizzed before a teasing grin spread across their faces. "Sounds like he's got the hots for you, little sister."
"What?" The youngest Bradshaw questioned.
"You and Iceman." Terence said, his grin broadening. "Ghost and Iceman, sitting in a tree, k--"
Rolling her eyes, Kara had grabbed the piece of lime that had garnished her drink and shoved it into her RIO's mouth, which had put an end to his teasing.
"Why am I friends with you lot?" She muttered, grabbing her drink and walked away from her brother and friend, who simply laughed as they watched her disappear into the crowd.
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The weekend seemed to have gone by way too fast for Kara's liking, and before she knew it, it was the official start of their training program.
The pilots and their RIOs were seated in a hangar, a blackboard positioned up front with four F-14s and an A-4 standing in the background.
"Now, you'll also be trained and evaluated by a few civilian specialists. The civilians are here because they are our very best source of information on enemy aircraft. One of our most qualified is our TAGREP, callsign Charlie." Jester explained in front of the class, leaning against a table as the clicking of heels could be heard, making their way down the aisle of Naval Aviators. "She has a Ph.D. in astrophysics, and she is also a civilian contractor, so you do not salute her. But you better listen to her because the Pentagon listens to her about your proficiency. It's all yours, Charlie."
"Thank you." A woman with short blonde hair replied and turned around to face the class with a professional smile, her eyes briefly landing on Kara before subtly nodding at her in respect.
"Hello." Charlie greeted, and that was when Kara had noticed the three shocked expressions belonging to her RIO, brother and friend.
"Oh, please, God, no." She mumbled with a soft groan as she slid down in her seat. "You idiots."
"We will be dealing with F-5s and A-4s as our MiG simulators. Now, then, as most of you know, the F-5 doesn't have the thrust-to-weight ratio that the MiG-28 has, and it doesn't bleed energy below 300 knots, like the MiG-28." The woman explained. "However, the MiG-28 does have a problem with its inverted flight tanks. It won't do a negative-G pushover. The latest intelligence.."
Kara exchanged a look with Terence, knowing full well that a certain dark-haired pilot would challenge that statement before she caught onto the whispers between her brother and his friend.
