She was not content to simply serve as a support officer in the Yanibar Guard Army and instead pursued a career in vehicle piloting. She started out in flight school flying Stiletto gunships, earning excellent marks in hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. She was one of the pilots deployed to Saraswan during the Yanibar Guard's intervention there, seeing combat over that world. Akira acquitted herself well, helping to destroy a series of hostile vehicles and artillery emplacements that were threatening friendly partisans. When her gunship was damaged, she nursed the wounded craft home for a belly landing, and was decorated for her performance.