The second lieutenant looked again at the decorated general who stood bolt upright before him. He, too, was silent but there was no doubt, no fear in his eyes. This general climbed the ladder, inserted himself into the cockpit like a foot into a tight shoe, engaged the engine, checked the instruments, and taxied to the end of the runway. The ground crew might have admired him, a high-ranking officer who was opting to give his life for the emperor sooner than surrender to an inferior enemy. Or they might have felt pity for him, a lonely general with nothing to live for. But they had to admit he sure as hell could fly. He turned into his takeoff and was airborne in seconds. He was soon in the clouds and on his way to Halong Bay, where kamikazes were reportedly picking off cruisers and landing craft at will and bidding their farewells to the world. The second lieutenant sighed and returned to his logbook, but another sound made him look up. The Zero was back. It performed a perfect loop-de-loop followed by a figure eight. The Zero was never known for its maneuverability. Inexperienced pilots had trouble just keeping it on an even keel. But the general was putting on a show like no one had ever seen before. He barrel-rolled and rose skyward and again he was gone. The second lieutenant smiled and raised a thumb to the mechanics and when they all believed he’d finally gone on his way, there he was again, flying low and straight now. He barely missed the top spire of the temple.

“He’s too low,” shouted one of the mechanics.

“I think he knows exactly what he’s doing,” said the second lieutenant. He laughed. He knew that what was about to happen would never find its way into the war records. Some historian would turn it into another myth of valor and honor. The guilty victims would become the heroes as they always had and those who knew the truth would be snuffed out. A row of tents shimmered as the Zero skimmed over them. Infantry men looked out from the flaps. The horses panicked in the corral. The engine roared. The Zero tipped a wing over the market, leveled, and slammed in a ball of fire and a thunderous boom into the side of the old colonial house.