Both Dusty and Skipper were flying high somewhere in the Pacific. After they flew off from a iconic aircraft carrier, the two went on for a pleasure flight in the skies that shadowed down the Northern Pacific Ocean. As they were cruising at level altitude, both of them were talking with each other.

'Say, Dusty?'

'Hmm?'

'How's everything in Piston Peak?'

'Everything's running smoothly there, Skip. We also expected to extinguish some minor wildfires in the forests.'

Skipper chuckled.

'Like old times, eh?'

'Yep. I also wanted to tell you that every time I stationed there, Dipper was always by my side.'

'Maybe she's into you on something.'

'She does.'

The Corsair raises a curious brow.

'Really?'

'Yeah. She had a deep liking to me.'

'You mean that she had a crush on you?'

Dusty blushes furiously on Skipper's question. Skipper plastered a small smile.

'Don't soil the moment with her, Dusty. Just let her know that you will return back the affection to her.'

'Sure, Skip. Besides, I do also love her.'

'You do?'

'Uhh...Y-Yeah.'

The Corsair chuckled and as he took a check on his left side, Skipper catches a glimpse of an island.

'Hey. That island's Hawaii?'

Dusty took a look on the distant island before he checked his navigational instruments.

'Negative. That ain't Hawaii, Skipper.'

'How could you say that?'

'My navigation panels shows that Hawaii was 20 kilometers away in our right side.'

'Strange.'

Skipper kept on looking at the distant island.

'Let's go and check it out, Dusty.'

'Copy that, wingman.'

Both Skipper and Dusty changed their heading and made a left turn towards the island. Halfway there, Dusty could see a large city that was adjacent to the shoreline. The city and its outskirts was filled with dense buildings constructed with wooden walls and sandbagged roofs.

'Look at that, Skipper. All of the buildings in that city below have sandbags on their roofs.'

'It is. What a sight there.'

The two then continued their course towards the city.

...

In the aforementioned city below, Emperor Splero was enjoying his morning breakfast with his Regent-Majordomos and a few military officers inside the barracks.

'Emperor Splero?'

'Yes, Regent Acher?'

'I just wanted to say that these tea tastes good when combined with wheat bread.'

'Of course it was. What do you expect more from that, eh?'

Renar, Acher's brother, snickered.

'He was expecting something more about it, Sire.'

'He did?'

'Yep.'

'I see.'

Acher sighed. A door then swing open as Kalir, Splero's son and heir to the throne, entered the room in a state of panic.

'Guys, I saw a suspicious pair of planes flying closer to our airspace!'

Splero spit takes upon hearing it.

'W-We're under attack, guys! Sound the alarm and man all Triple A!'

'Yes, Sir!'

All of the men immediately went out of the barracks. They rushed into the bunkers while some went to man the Etrich Taubes that were in the nearby airport. Kalir then manned a QF 1-Pounder pom-pom that was mounted near a stack of sandbags. Splero approached to him.

'How bad is it, Son?'

'It's just two planes, Dad but it looks to me like a pair of Republican planes that attacked our outposts in the mountains yesterday.'

'Where they are now?'

Kalir then looked up and saw the two planes that were flying above the city. Splero sees these and he drew out his saber.

'All forces, defend the Empire!'

...

As they hover over the city, a siren then started to sound throughout the city. The sound cause both of the two planes to be taken by surprise.

'Dusty, you hear that?'

'Yeah. What is that?'

'It's an air raid siren!'

Just as he said that, the skies around him and Dusty started to be filled with loud exploding black puffs of smoke. Both the Corsair and the crop duster banked their wings level.

'We're being fired with flak! Let's pull out, Dusty!'

'On it!'

As they tried to break away from the flak-saturated skies, a pair of Etrich Taubes adorned with green and white paint markings and a yellow circle on the tip of their wings pursed them.

'Stop it right there!'

'You two dare to rain terror over our Empire?! All of you must pay!'

The Taubes then started to fire their Maxim guns that were mounted near their propellers while the pilots manning them were firing their Mauser C-96s and Hanyang 88s. Both Dusty and Skipper were under attack.

'Break them off us, Dusty!'

'I'm trying!'

As they turned, one of the Taubes managed to inflict a few bullet hits on Dusty's tail and elevators.

'Ow! Skipper, I'm hit!'

'Damn! Let's head back to the Flysenhower!'

The Corsair and his damaged wingman then made a turn for return to the aircraft carrier while the pair of Etrich Taubes continued to pursue them.

'Mayday! Mayday! This is Crophopper Seven. We're being chased by a pair of attacking fighter aircraft. Requesting immediate assistance!'

A radio call replied back to Dusty.

'Roger that, Crophopper Seven. We sent you and your wingman Bravo and Echo into your position. ETA 2 minutes.'

'We may not be here in two minutes!'

Just as Skipper said that, a bullet pierced through his left wing.

'Ah!'

'Skipper, are you hit?'

'Yeah. My left wing got shot.'

A second shot then struck Skipper's right elevator. The Corsair then yelped in pain.

'I'm receiving too much fire here!'

'Hang on!'

Both Dusty and his mentor kept on banking as they attempted to break away from the pair of pursuing Etrich Taube fighters. The dogfight continued and the pair kept on receiving inaccurate pistol, rifle and machine gun fire that mostly missed them but some of the bullets did struck their wings and tails.

'Skipper, where are the jets?!'

'I don't know, Dusty! Have you seen them in front of you?'

Dusty then faced into the front and in the distance was a pair of F/A-18s flying towards their position.

'I see them! Twelve o clock!'

'I could see it.'

A radio call then messaged both Dusty and Skipper together.

'Crophopper Seven, this Bravo and Echo reporting in. Bug out to the east and we'll cover you guys.'

'Got it!'

The two F/A-18s then circled overhead and positioned themselves to intercept the pair of World War One-era fighters. One of the Etrich Taubes notices Bravo started to tail him and calls out his partner to bug out.

'Chervon One, jets in the air! Jets in the air!'

'Retreat for the Splena!'

The two Etrich Taubes then disengaged, turned away and made a course back to the Splenish island. Both Bravo and Echo saw this and they were surprised.

'Hey, Echo. Looks like they're disengaging.'

'Acknowledged. Should we intercept them?'

'Negative. Let's escort the VIPs back to the Flysenhower. Over.'

'Copy that, Bravo. RTB.'

The two fighter jets then moved closer to Dusty and Skipper. Bravo could see the bullet holes on the propeller planes' wings and tails.

'Whoa. Looks like you guys were hit very hard.'

Skipper nodded.

'Yeah. We both just overlooking an island back there when we're being fired upon by flak and being pursued by those fierce fighters.'

Echo then dipped his wings.

'You guys still have any control?'

'Affirmative. We still have some control on our ailerons, rudders and elevators. Suggest we should head back to the Flysenhower for now.'

'Sure thing.'

'Roger that, Skipper.'

The Corsair then looked at Dusty.

'Dusty, let's head back home and get ourselves repaired up back at Propwash Junction.'

'Copy that, wingman. Returning to base.'

Skipper then nodded back in acknowledgement as he and Dusty was being escorted by the jet fighters en route to the aircraft carrier.

...

Back at the island, the two Etrich Taubes finally returned to the airport after they disengaged their dogfight against Dusty and Skipper. As the pilots disembarked, Emperor Splero and Crown Prince Kalir approached to them.

'What happened, guys?'

'Have you guys able to dispatch the threat?'

The pilots simply shook their heads in honest denial.

'No, Sire. We didn't.'

'The two planes were being aided by two advanced jet fighters. Our Taubes were no match for those jets.'

Splero groaned.

'Damn.'

Kalir then faces to his father.

'What should we do now, Dad? The enemy had just escaped.'

Splero let out a sigh.

'Just let them go, Kalir. We'll get them next time. For right now, let's keep the Empire calm and all. OK, guys?'

Kalir, the four pilots and the two Etrich Taubes nodded back to the Emperor's words.

'Good.'

The Emperor then sat down on the asphalt and sighed again.