Japes

Tail Gunner (Revised Version)

Added 2016-09-02 02:18:09 +0000 UTC

Defying the usual Hobbesian lifespan of tail gunners during the Second Great War, (whose firing position at the base of a dragon's tail proved to be the most vulnerable to enemy fire and smaller dragon attacks) Elliott "Ellie" St. James survived the war in part due to the fierce attachment her dragon developed for her.
Agamemnon guarded her as jealously as he would any jewel, as he prized her not only for her excellent marksmanship in keeping enemy fliers off his tail, but also as a particularly attractive breeding female to help swell the ranks of his crew. A main determinant of dragon status in the Royal Aerial Corps was the size of their crew; they hoarded human ground and flight crew much like the dragons of old hoarded precious gems, and the most illustrious dragons could boast of several generations of captains springing from the interbreeding of their crew. Agamemnon constantly
worried about the brash young Lieutenant covering his six, and had a habit of lifting his tail to cover her when he felt the attacks coming from the rear becoming too hot. He then patiently endured the stings of bullets from the enemy and later the fusillade of swearing from young Ellie as she upbraided him for yet again spoiling her shot.
Captain Aubrey had to suppress a smile when witnessing the scene of the headstrong young woman dressing down the 22-ton dragon. Normally she would have corrected the dragon too, but she could hardly blame him, having developed
a soft spot of her own for the young Lieutenant...