Usual nifty rules apply to this story.
Nat's Story is the second in the Pilot Series. Yes I was once a Fleet Air Arm Helicopter Pilot but this story is total fiction and no resemblance to people alive or dead is intended.
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Nathaniel and Zak's Story
Part 2
Nat's Story Cont'd.
Five years later Lieutenant Nathaniel Pridoe was manoeuvring his chopper onto the deck of H.M.S. Arc Royal. The weather was appalling, the ship was heaving around like a wild thing.
"Gently Nat, the squadron will lose its C.O. if you screw up."
"I know Sir, but this is unbelievable. The met men didn't come up with anything like this."
"Huh, they never do Nat, they never do."
It was a bone shaker of a landing but the ground crew had chains attached and the chopper anchored down on the deck in seconds.
This was Nat's second frontline tour. Sword of honour winner he was the youngest frontline squadron staff officer in the navy. The First Sea Lord had been the C.O of this squadron as a Lieutenant Commander and had personally shaken Nat's hand and wished him Bon Voyage before he manned his aircraft to fly himself and the new C.O. out to the ship.
In the squadron briefing room the next morning everyone was briefed on the aviation hierarchy on this newest of Her Majesty's floating airfield's.
The C.O. looked around the young officers under his command and wondered how he could have such a young crew. His senior pilot was only 29 and his staff officer only 25.
"Nat, you had better go and make the acquaintance of Lieutenant Commander Flying, (Little `F') he will be your main liaison for operations. I'm sorry Nat, he's a jet jockey."
Both men laughed. The old chopper, (helicopters), and jet jockeys, (fighters and fighter bombers), rivalry would flare up again but Nat loved it. His first love had been a jet jockey. When Nat had gone to Dartmouth and then flying training they had lost touch, Zak had gone on to greater things. Nat had never taken another lover, no one he met ever came up to Zak's standards and he wasn't about to accept second best.
At the end of briefing Nat wandered up to flyco to see little F, he could see the gold stripes on the arms resting on the deck coaming, belonging to the man he wanted to talk to. He was watching the launch of a fighter intercept group. Nat could see the plane guard chopper sat off the port bow ready to slip in quickly and rescue any crew ditching on takeoff. He knew this was a tense time so he stayed back and just watched.
Launch completed and little F turned. Nat had to grab a stanchion to stop himself falling but he couldn't stop the tears flooding his eyes. Little F was Lt. Cdr Zachary Scott.
"My cabin Lieutenant."
Zak turned and walked to his sea cabin behind the bridge. Nat followed in a daze. As soon as the door closed he just threw himself into Zak's arms.
"Oh God I love you and I have missed you so much."
"That's enough Lt., stand up and pull yourself together."
Nat was shattered. He stood to attention and looked straight at his lover from five years ago.
"Your eyes always gave you away. Come here baby, I love you too."
Nat fell apart completely as Zak planted a hundred kisses.
"You are going to sleep with me tonight Lt. and we are going to explore Paradise together."
They did and Nat was the little seventeen year old he had been the first time Zak took him to paradise. At every opportunity over the next year they made love and most of the ship's company knew there was a special bond between Little F and 820's Staff O, but not what the bond was of course.
Zak was promoted Commander at the end of the tour and reposted to Northwood, his assistant had to be a chopper pilot and Nat asked the appointer for the job. Two very happy men moved into Zak's spacious house and Nat had to come out to his parents.
"We know Son."
"How Dad, I've always been so careful and Zak has been my only lover ever?"
"Your eyes gave you away the first time you came back from Zak's house when you were seventeen."
Nat laughed.
"Zak said that first night, the reason he felt confident asking me to be his boyfriend was because of my eyes, they answered all his questions."
"Well, be happy but don't be a stranger."
"I won't Dad, I'll be in for my evening paper every day on the way home."
They both laughed and Mum gave her only son a big hug.
Gay or straight didn't matter to her, he was her son, she loved him and was proud of his achievement. Nat never did have another lover, he and Zak had two years together at Northwood and then Zak was posted to command a frigate on the Far East Station.
Nat was posted to Yeovilton after completing the Instructor's Course. Promoted lieutenant commander at the end of that appointment he was sent to command a small ship's flight. A frigate in the Far East. Zak's ship, but only for a month before another promotion took Zak back to the Admiralty.
The last day of operations before Zak was to leave the ship was a live torpedo firing exercise using the Lynx Helicopter as the weapons carrier. At the appropriate time the weapon run time was set and it was armed. Nat ran in to the target drop point and released on time but the weapon hung up. All lines to it had disconnected so it couldn't be disarmed. Very quickly Nat dropped to a near sea level hover and made the rest of his crew jump before flying off away from them to ditch. He never made it. The explosion was heard in Singapore despite the event happening twenty miles off shore.
There was insufficient material left on the surface of the sea to salvage anything of the chopper and no human remains were recovered.
Lieutenant Commander Nathaniel Pridoe was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery in securing the safety of his crew by sacrificing his own life. His parents were escorted to the awards ceremony by Captain Zachery Scott who was on compassionate leave having suffered a major breakdown on the death of his protégé.
Zak never took another lover and never lost contact with Nat's parents. Every year on the anniversary of Nat's death they met for a short memorial service for Nat held in the little church at Northwood NATO Base.
Zak picked up his flag making Admiral at a very young age but he didn't enjoy his promotion for very long. Posted to Northwood again only this time in the role of the man he had worked for the first time he was there he set up a trust fund at Nat's old school to help young men get commissions in the Royal Navy. The proceeds from his house would go into the fund on his death.
Rear Admiral Zachary Scott died on the tenth anniversary of the death of Lieutenant Commander Nathaniel Pridoe. Only a few very close friends and Nat's parents knew that he had died of a broken heart.
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Civilian pilots for the next story in the series and back to fixed wing as against helicopters, (rotory wing).