Part One- Airstrike
"I never expected the headquarters to be this small," Canteen Hughes monologued, quite unsatisfied. "I thought it would be bigger, not twice the size of my living room.
"Hey! This isn't the headquarters. It's just the admissions area." A voice chirped from behind Canteen. "Who was that?" Canteen spun around with a shock, staring at the person who startled him. A half-eaten apple stood behind him, waving in an amiable fashion. "The name's Mac. Nice to meet you." Hughes smiled. Slowly, his hand shifted forward, creeping like a caterpillar trying to reach a nice, juicy leaf. "Put 'er there!"
Standing before the admissions area of Solarcrest Towers, Canteen Hughes grabbed a brochure from a nearby stand. Flipping it open, Hughes couldn't help but stare at the pictures of Solarcrest Towers. Reading the brochure peacefully, the small drinking vessel quietly thought of how life would be if he managed to join.
BUMP! "Ow! What's the big idea?" Canteen Hughes toppled over, his bottle cap coming off. "Move it, wimp." It was Hughes' childhood bully and neighbor, Quint. "Thinking about joining the Air Force? A wimp like you has absolutely no chance of getting an admission." "Hey! I've got plenty of experience with flying planes and using them as weapons!" "Since when?"
Now Hughes was stuck. "Uhm... since I helped my friends defeat the Howling Aces?"
Quint nodded his head in satisfaction. "Looks like I underestimated you, then. But don't expect you do get a spot around the top-most ranking pilots." Pushing Hughes aside, Quint marched away.
"Hey, what did that guy want? He's a literal penny, he's worthless!" Mac laughed. "But really. It'll be their loss if they don't accept you. No one else here has flew an actual plane. The most they've done are training simulators! Meanwhile, you're the only one with expertise. You could be a great ally."
"Thanks, buddy."
As Canteen Hughes walked to the front of the admission desk, Lucien- the admission worker- lightened up. "Welcome to Solarcrest Towers Admission! So, tell me. What are your qualifications-" "I helped develop special plane bombs and grenades, and I also made the blueprints for my friends' planes." "And?" "I helped defeat the Howling Aces." "You're in!"
As Canteen walked away, he pumped his fist in triumph. But then he looked back. Mac looked at him in the eyes.
Hughes mouthed, Good luck.
Mac smiled.
---
As soon as Quint saw Hughes walking through the door, he was taken aback. "Hughes?! What are you doing here?" "The fact that I helped gun down the Howling Aces was enough to give me a guaranteed admission." Quint sputtered. What the-?! He's just a glorified drinking vessel for hikers! How did he-
Quint's thoughts were cut off by a serious, shrill voice. It was Hilda Berg.
"Welcome to Solarcrest Towers, Inkwell Isle's military air force." Hilda Berg started. As she went on, Hughes was literally on the edge of his seat. Wow! I can't believe I'm training under the Hilda Berg! This is amazing!
Hughes vaguely caught on to the words weekly lectures, and he only became more excited. But Quint sighed. "When will we get to gun someone down?" He sighed.
Life at Solarcrest Towers would be... interesting to say the least.
