Lübeck awoke early, before dawn. The constant takeoffs and landings from last night's operation had indeed disrupted his sleep. Holding Brittany's waist from behind, breathing in the scent of her body, Lübeck felt in this moment that he truly possessed her. Yet more missions lay ahead, including deep-space operations carrying varying degrees of risk. Seen this way, the love before him seemed like a castle built on sand.
Why hadn't he chosen an ordinary life? Beyond passion and skill, necessity for survival was also a factor. At least his previous life had been spent on Earth, where he could be with Ruth. But after she left, to honor a promise of waiting, Lübeck agreed to join the secret space program. This way, he could keep living by reversing his age, waiting for her return.
Dawn broke, and light filtered through the rooftop panoramic window, illuminating Brittany's profile as she lay on her side. Compared to Ruth, she was a bit more curvaceous, her frame less delicate. Her personality seemed lighter, lacking Ruth's steadiness and dignity, yet more passionate and straightforward.
Lübeck longed to reunite with Ruth, but now Brittany had entered his life. He resolved to cherish the person before him, burying Ruth in his heart for the time being.
“Mmm,” Brittany stirred awake, stretching lazily and sighing deeply. Her eyes still closed, she rolled over, nestling closer to Lübeck.
Her forehead pressed against Lübeck's chest, her chin resting on his shoulder. Nestled against him like a little bird, she stirred his protective instincts. As he gazed at her, he gently brushed the hair from her cheek and stroked her shoulder.
Brittany lazily rolled over again, lying flat on her back. She turned her head, opened her eyes, and silently gazed at Lübeck.
Lübeck lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand as he watched her, unable to suppress a smile. For some reason, he found her brown-green eyes utterly captivating, simply smiling as the faint glow from the viewport illuminated her irises.
“Good morning, Pilot Lübeck,” Brittany murmured playfully.
“Did you sleep well?” Lübeck asked, ruffling her hair.
“Mm,” Brittany replied.
“Were you tired yesterday?”
Brittany giggled softly, turning her face to rest against Lübeck's chest.
“Weren't you?” She draped her arm around Lübeck's waist, her fingertips lightly tracing up his lower back before sliding down to his hips. Lifting her head to meet his gaze, she asked,
“Tell me, besides flying, what else can you pilot?”
Lübeck considered for a moment before replying,
“Well, I started flying in civilian aviation, then joined the US Navy. I flew Hellcats, Sabres, Crusaders, and Ghosts.”
“You've piloted many things. What about women?” Brittany paused mid-question, lowering her voice shyly, yet unable to resist inquiring about his experiences.
“No, only my ex-wife Ruth.”
“Oh, I thought a man as exceptional as you would have many admirers,” she said, then lay back on the bed. As she did so, she wrapped her arms around Lübeck's waist and pulled him down onto her. Blinking her large eyes, she gazed at him and said,
"Don't let any other woman take you away from me, okay? Erich, take control of me—your very own."
Each time his name was called, Lübeck was pulled back to Ruth's side. It was her who opened the door for him when he returned home, her welcoming face transporting him back to days long past.
Lübeck grasped Brittany's hands, stretching her arms wide, as if unfolding the folded wings of the carrier-based fighter he once piloted through the years.
Each time he entered Brittany, her heaving chest and trembling body felt like the vibration of a craft engaging the catapult hook. Each tightening of the ground trolley, each shudder of the aircraft, seemed to herald the imminent moment of takeoff.
As the catapult's power steam hissed, pressure surged, and the stop bar clanged under strain. Amid the fuselage's tremors, the left and right engines roared to life, sequentially igniting their afterburners. Under the uneven thrust, the airframe twisted, compressed by hydraulic dampers.
Amid the piercing whine of turbine rotors and the roar of exhaust, gripping the control stick tightly, the release latch clanged free. The fuselage suddenly pitched forward, its nose pointing skyward. Propelled by immense thrust and acceleration, it launched, soaring upward.
Even after breakfast, when he entered the operations room for inspection, Lü Beck's mind still echoed with intertwined images from his former flying career and the silhouette of Brittany...
Lü Beck sat down with a cup of coffee, sipping to clear his head while monitoring the large screen displaying the operational situation. The Hellbringer attack aircraft that had been taking off and landing all night were mapping and marking newly discovered Martian spider burrows, primarily around the supply lines. Ground armored units had already departed at dawn to carry out demolition operations at the marked locations, sealing caves near the supply lines that could be used by Martian spiders—standard procedure.
As reports and updates streamed in from the front lines, today's operations appeared to be proceeding smoothly. Following yesterday's strikes, the spiders seemed reluctant to use those burrows again. The Ground Shock Team completed their assigned tasks without encountering any resistance, returning to base entirely within half a day.
It had been a successful day, and Lübeck was pleased. Later that evening, he received an invitation from Brittany to join her for dinner in the enlisted mess hall. Normally, protocol dictated she should accompany him to the officers' mess, but Lübeck accepted without a second thought.
As he pushed open the dining hall doors, celebratory streamers suddenly rained down from both sides, landing on his head and shoulders. Ahead, a crowd of soldiers—some crouching, some standing—faced him in unison, chanting:
“Guardian Angel Lübeck! Guardian Angel Lübeck! Guardian Angel Lübeck!”
Lübeck froze in surprise. Looking closer, he recognized soldiers from the transport and rescue units flanked by armored troops and air squadron personnel lining the aisles. He realized this was likely the rescued unit expressing gratitude for his personal aerial support the previous day.
Lübeck hurriedly clapped and bowed in acknowledgment. Approaching the front, he noticed Brittany among the ranks.
“Thank you to the armored forces and flight squadron for supporting our rescue efforts yesterday, especially Captain Lübeck for securing that critical rescue window. We're deeply grateful,” the medical rescue team leader said, shaking hands with Lübeck and others in turn.
Just then, a low murmur rose from the kneeling female medics:
"Hey, Brittany, your boyfriend really pulled through. He can fly planes too? I never heard you mention it."
“Oh, he never told me either,” Brittany replied, her face flushing. She seemed to enjoy the spotlight yet grew nervous and shy under excessive attention.
The transport captain continued his round of thanks.
“Thanks to the guys from the attack squadron. Your initial heavy firepower saved us—we might've been crushed otherwise.”
“Yeah, we had to go all out from the start. We were short-handed, but Captain Lübeck filled the firepower gap later,” the pilots recalled the situation.
“Yeah, only heavy firepower could teach those spiders where not to go.”
While the men discussed the situation, the women turned to another topic.
“Hey, Brittany, how did you meet such a great boyfriend?”
“Oh, it was a work assignment. I was assigned to care for him during his age reversal recovery period.”
“Oh, so you cared for him, and then he came to protect you.” As she spoke, the female soldier stood up and began to shout,
“Hey, hey, hey! Don't go thanking this person or that person—you need to thank Brittany!”
The moment she spoke, the entire room fell silent. Once she had the audience's attention, she began to speak with solemn precision,
" Captain Lübeck personally flew the escort plane to protect his beloved Brittany. We're all just riding her coattails. Everyone, thank her!" She pulled Brittany to her feet, who stood awkwardly before the crowd.
The male soldiers began jeering,
“We thought he flew to keep an eye on our six o'clock position. Turns out it was to keep an eye on hers!”
The female soldiers, hearing this, grew excited too. They pulled Lübeck toward Brittany and questioned them one by one:
“So you two are lovers?”
“How long have you been together?”
“Marry her now!”
“Yeah, right now!”
The surrounding male soldiers joined in the teasing:
“Did you really fly the plane for her sake?”
“Are you going to fly her tonight?”
The female soldiers chimed in,
“Hahaha, yeah, Brittany, do you like him flying you?”
Amidst the bustling crowd, Brittany's eyes locked on Lübeck before her. Recalling the morning's events, her neck flushed crimson.
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