Raine, some well deserved bling! I like the colour of the ribbon. Wulfe, yikes! That was ... uncalled for. Can you rewind time? That is just dolorous. I have a feeling this will permanently alter James’ behaviour. Will he ever step into a plane again? Will he pretend not to be affected and take his frustrations out on the enemy and friend alike? Will he drown his sorrows in a drink and squander his pay on ladies? I don’t know, but I want to. Lemoine would definitely offer Fullard his flask at this time if he still had it.
To Gaston’s great surprise and delight all three claims from yesterday’s morning have been confirmed. This morning the indomitable Gaul was tasked with patrolling over enemy aerodrome at Mercy Le Haut. He came, he saw nothing, he RTB'd.
It was a bitter-sweet afternoon for Gaston. His wingman, S.Lt. Henri Japy is missing. Nobody knows what happened. He and Japy have just taken off on line patrol mission, north of Verdun and were on their way to the first waypoint when puffs of anti-aircraft fire started to go off to their starboard. That was the last time Gaston saw Japy. A trio of Fokkers was attempting to quietly sneak under the 'B' flight and if it weren't for the arty boys, they probably would have succeeded. Gaston went after them and fired on the one that turned back to face him. Voscadeaux didn't get involved in a turning fight but followed the pair that kept on going straight. He picked the lower one, fired at him and immediately turned to face the first monoplane that went head to head with him. They were low near the ground and Gaston had to be very careful not to stall his pig. It would have been fatal. He eventually crept up on the tail of his target and fired a few rounds. The Eindecker was hit but not critically. What brought upon his demise was the evasive maneuvre he performed right after that. He evaded Gaston and drove straight into the ground. That left the other machine that had been already damaged in the initial attack. This second Boche, after circling the wreck for what seemed like an eternity, was damaged significantly enough to lose control and join his compatriot below. It was then that Voscadeaux noticed Japy was missing. While searching for his wingman, Gaston noticed a speck in the distance and knew right away it was the last Fokker trying to get away. The French Ace decided to pursue. He caught up with him over the front and considered for a moment if he should risk being fired on by the infantry. The risk was low, as they were beyond the trenches already. He swooped down and brought the unsuspecting Boche down with one burst. He then turned south and continued his solitary flight home. It is still uncertain what happened to Japy's plane. It has not been found yet but his name has been crossed off the active pilot roster. At the mess, Voscadeaux could hear other pilots mention the word “Chaussette”. He knew they were talking about his wingman.
"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys, The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain, From out of my arse take the camshaft, And assemble the engine again."