Ace Combat: Angel Wings Chronicles

St. Ark Rescue

Oct. 10, 2004

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Combat series or its canon characters, which are a properties of Namco. Seraph is my OC.

Mission Briefing

Operation White Out is proceeding over Mt. Shezna in the north. Squadrons from the Fort Grace have been ordered to destroy the Erusean radar installations that are monitoring our troops stranded in St. Ark. If they succeed, the Erusean Military will lose their eyes on the city.

Once the enemy radar facilities are destroyed, the White Valley will participate in Operation Ark Royal to extract the troops from St. Ark to North Point. Landing ships will be stationed at three ports, designated as Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie Beaches, where the ISAF Army will be evacuating St. Ark. The evacuation will proceed at full speed once the Fort Grace reports on the success of Operation White Out. However, given the strategic importance of St. Ark and the large number of allies stationed in the city, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Eruseans will have a contingency should the Mt. Shezna facilities fail to report back on our movements.

Your mission is to patrol the skies for enemy reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft targeting the beaches. Intel from our scouts also indicates that the Eruseans have also set up long-range missile launchers equipped with cruise missiles. If recon craft are being deployed, it is likely that they will be utilizing data transmissions to guide the missiles onto St. Ark. Destroy any recon planes before they can reveal the exact locations of our retreating forces. If any bombers or attackers are spotted, you are to also immediately destroy them. Without guidance from the recon planes, the enemy attackers and missiles will require a longer time to acquire their targets, and thus give you more time to eliminate them.

All pilots, report to your aircraft and standby for launch orders. We've got men on the ground to rescue.

St. Ark, 1505 Hours

The sun beat down on the base as the tanks started their engines, revving them. Gunners and loaders clambered in followed by the commanders and drivers as techies and mechanics examined each one for the coming fight.

Off to the side, a single woman stood beside her tank, her golden eyes fixed on the horizon. Her short, snow white hair hung around her face gracefully, accenting her tanned flesh. She had slightly aristocratic features, adding to her exotic good looks. She was lean, but toned, and her uniform clung to her curves in all the right places.

Sergeant Itani Bergson of the North Point Ground Forces ran her hand through her hair before she turned back to the tank beside her. Climbing up onto her Type 90's turret, she yelled into the hatch, "alright girls, listen up. We've got our orders. As soon as our air support arrives on station, we'll withdraw into our designated landing ship. We're evacuating Saint Ark at last."

"About freaking time," Itani's female gunner remarked, "I was afraid we'd only be remembered by command after running out of ammo." Likewise, she grimaced at the partially-loaded magazine for the gun's autoloader.

"But that means abandoning the city…" the driver objected, "and these people…" She glanced over at a group of curious children being rushed back into an apartment by their parents.

Itani sighed, "we'll come back one day, but we're in no position to hold St. Ark against Erusea. At least with an ocean between here and home, we won't have to worry about continuous ground advances and artillery attacks."

It was then that there was a soaring sound in the distance, which grew louder as the sources moved closer. The female tank commander turned her eyes to the sky, and saw several forms emerge from the clouds. Itani gave a smile at the sign of fighter jets coming from the east.

"Allied air support is here," Itani announced, "that our cue!" She then climbed through her commander's hatch. "Get us moving," she ordered the driver. Her tank's mission in guarding St. Ark was complete, and now it was up to the ISAF Air Forces to guard their retreat.

Skies above St. Ark, 1507 Hours

"There's the city," Cherub remarked to Seraph. Their F-14D was cruising alongside two F-14As and four F-16Cs. "It's a beautiful sight…" the WSO was taken at how St. Ark positively glowed in the evening sunset, "it's too bad we're having to abandon it."

"Lighten up, buddy," Seraph cheered, "when the tide of the war turns, we'll get the opportunity to liberate this city from its oppressors. It's only a matter of when."

Cherub huffed softly to himself. "I hope so. We've been on the defensive for a long time now…"

As the allied squadron entered the mission airspace, there was an update tone over the coms.

"White Valley CIC to allied forces in the vicinity of St. Ark," Seraph's home carrier reported, "Operation White Out has succeeded, commence Operation Ark Royal. Angel One and all allied aircraft, provide air cover for our ground forces as they board the landing ships. Protect the three beaches and secure the evacuation route."

"Radar display updated," Cherub indicated as the screen lit up with new information regarding the status of Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie Beaches. There were numerous allied vehicle signatures and emplacements gathered around the landing ships, which were marked as priority targets for protection. "That's a lot of ground to cover," Seraph's WSO remarked with a whistle.

"Doesn't matter," Seraph reminded, "with the radar stations knocked out, the Eruseans will have to rely on direct targeting from their recon planes to get an exact bead on our allies. Keep an eye out for their eyes in the sky, Cherub."

The wait for contact was not long. "New contact, bearing two-seven-zero," one of the allied fighters reported, "confirmed to be an Erusean E-767 with two Mirages as escorts."

"Let's go poke some eyes," Seraph rallied the pilots. Moving towards the front of the formation, Seraph switched to his Phoenix missile, acquiring a lock onto the enemy AWACs aircraft in the center of the formation. "Fox three!" The missile streaked towards the target. However, the AWACs responded with jamming signals and a flurry of flares, causing the projectile to go wide of the fuselage. "Looks like he was ready for that one," Seraph grumbled as the missile failed to hit.

"Escort fighters turning to engage us," Cherub warned as the Erusean fighters banked their way.

"Let's leave that recon plane to the others," Seraph suggested, "we'll swat the escorts down into the drink."

"Game on, boss," Cherub jested before he was pushed back into his seat again from the sudden acceleration. Seraph switched over to his Sparrows and fired upon the two fighters. With their high velocity release and advanced homing capabilities, the Erusean pilots had no chance to react before they went up in fireballs. "Bandits down!"

"Ferris One, Fox Two," one of the allied F-14As fired its Sidewinder missile, which slammed into the hostile recon plane's engine, blowing it off with its wing.

"Nice shot, Ferris One," Seraph complimented, "that's one bird down!"

However, it was still too soon to celebrate, as an additional recon plane showed up on radar with a larger number of escorts. There were even multiple other contacts further out, which were more numerous, but noticeably smaller in shape and size. "White Valley CIC," the allied early warning and control reported, "additional recon aircraft spotted, along with six cruise missiles from bearing zero-zero-zero. Engage and destroy before they can attack the evacuation sites."

"Looks like they're catching on to our guys below," one of the allied pilots groaned.

"Bite your teeth and fight on," Seraph grunted, "we're the only ones standing between our troops and annihilation here! Ferris flight, form on me! The rest of you F-16 pilots cover the landing zones from any planes that slip by!"

"Copy that, Angel One, moving to assist!" As the F-16s broke off, Seraph and the other carrier jets moved to engage the Erusean reinforcements.

"The E-767 is the aircraft responsible for guiding the missiles," Ferris Two indicated, "taking it out should buy us time to engage the missiles."

"Right," Seraph acknowledged, "I'll deal with the recon and their escorts. Ferris Team, engage the missiles while I buy you guys some time."

"Leave it to us, Angel One," Ferris One replied with a salute from his canopy, "good hunting, sir!" Reciprocating the gesture, Seraph grinned as he gunned the thrusters. His F-14D rocketed forward towards the enemy formation.

Cherub chuckled cautiously. "You know that it's just the two of us against four enemy fighters," he pointed out. His pilot could not help but just smile. "I like the odds," Seraph replied.

"As usual…" Cherub moaned as he was pushed back into his ejection seat from the sudden evasive maneuvers. The Erusean F-16s fired their missiles, none of which connected with Seraph's fast-turning F-14D. Shooting past the F-16s, Seraph did a tight left turn to align his portside cannon with one of the enemy fighters. He let loose with a burst of cannon fire, shredding one of the Falcon's single thruster and detonating the fuel tank. "Bandit down," Cherub tallied the kill, "we still have three F-16s and the E-767 to slay."

"Let's rack them up then," Seraph yelled as he went towards the E-767. The Erusean fighters attempted to swarm the ISAF ace, but the latter was much faster in breaking their lock-ons as he swooped around them. He let his cannon roar again as tracers ripped through the radar and port-side engine. The left wing exploded, causing the aircraft to roll uncontrollably before the fuel tanks exploded, vaporizing it in a fireball. "Recce aircraft down," Seraph called out as he re-engaged the fighters.

After two more minutes, the Angel Winged pilot sent the remaining escorts spiraling towards the earth. "Ferris One here, we've managed to destroy the missiles," Seraph's wingman reported.

"Good work, Ferris Team," Seraph complimented with a thumbs up to the F-14s out of his canopy.

"This is Delta 3," an allied F-16 reported, "we've got Erusean A-10s and Tornados converging on the port! They'll clear out the guys on the ground if we don't get back up!"

"All planes," the White Valley CIC chimed in, "additional cruise missiles and escorts bearing three-three-zero, ten miles from the evac site. Intercept!"

Cherub groaned aloud, "we're not going to be able to cover everyone like this!"

It was then that Seraph decided to radio the landing ships. "ISAF evac ships, this is Angel One. How much longer until you can set sail!?"

"This is the landing ship, Mako, eighty-nine percent of our ground forces are loaded aboard. Just buy us seven minutes!"

"Make it faster, because the Erusean attacks are picking up," Seraph warned. He then turned towards his wingmen, "Ferris One and Two, help Delta Team fend off the attacker craft. I'll deal with the missiles!"

"Copy that Angel One," Ferris One acknowledged, "just be careful out there."

"It's them who need to be careful with me," Seraph retorted as he went full afterburner. As Seraph closed the distance, Cherub read, "contact, ten cruise missiles and five F-14As. Don't get us killed."

The enemy F-14s opened with their own salvo of long-range AAMs, but Seraph anticipated this as he barrel-rolled downwards, letting the missiles to overshoot. Angel One then switched to his own missiles, and with a positive tone, sent a Phoenix and Sparrow flying. The Eruseans evaded, but the missiles impacted two of the cruise missiles instead.

"We've got a problem, Seraph," Cherub reported, "only our two Sidewinders are the missiles in reserve."

Seraph grunted, cognizant of the F-14's limited weapons space. "How much left in the gun," he inquired.

"Four hundred and forty-two rounds, still green," Cherub sounded more optimistic at that.

"Plenty for me," Seraph grinned as he went all in on the missiles up close. Lining up his reticle, Seraph fired more 20mm tracers which instantly shredded the thruster nozzles of three of the missiles, leaving five remaining. The Erusean Tomcats attempted to swat the ISAF Super Tomcat away as they went after him with their guns. Seraph simply had to do loops and turns around the Eruseans, with Cherub trying to keep his stomach from churning from his pilot's radical maneuvers.

"Hope you enjoy reporting this to your superiors, Eruseans!" Seraph rocketed around the defending fighters and went for a cannon strafing run, ripping through and detonating the remaining five missiles. The ISAF ace quickly pulled away as five fireballs lingered behind him, with the Eruseans biting his dust in defeat.

"Angel One, where are you," Delta One radioed, "the evac site is still getting hammered here! We can't hold the FEAF off much longer before they start sinking the landing ships!"

"Sit tight," Seraph yelled out, "I'm on my way!" Just as he was about to jet for the coastline however, Cherub interrupted, "warning, unknown aircraft approaching from our six o'clock at high speed!"

The F-14D pilot did not even have five seconds to process the news before the missile alert tone blared in the cockpit. "Snap!" Seraph banked hard left and dispensed chaff and flares as the long-range Meteor missile sped towards him. The projectile shot past behind his tail by a few feet. Seraph glanced out of his canopy, and saw his attacker approaching him rapidly. His eyes widened and blood chilled; it was a camouflaged green Typhoon. As it rolled slightly on its side, Seraph got a glance of the bear's emblem on the tail.

"S-Seraph!" Cherub himself saw the enemy, and was sweating bullets. Seraph, however, was more angry than frightened.

"Well, well, well," a cocky and smug voice came over the coms, "you must be Angel Wings! I can see your white mug miles away!"

"Sergei Brynner," Seraph grunted, "you've got a lot of nerve showing your face." He slammed his throttle into gear, and his thrusters lit up as he turned to engage the Erusean mercenary. "Ferris Team," Seraph advised, "you two go and help Delta Team with the hostiles around the beach. I've got this one."

"Seraph, wait," Cherub's protest was cut off by the intense inertia of Seraph's high-speed turn.

"Oh, a feisty one here," Sergei taunted as he turned towards Seraph, "I'm going to enjoy this!"

The two pilots twisted around the skies as Seraph's F-14D chased down Sergei's Typhoon. Seraph had only two Sidewinders and the rounds in his cannon, so he had to be more deliberate with his shooting. However, it proved to be a needle threading as Sergei would zig-zag to upset his aim.

"This one's going to be for Phoenix you freak," Seraph said aloud as he fired a burst of tracers. Sergei evaded the bullets, then executed a tight right loop that allowed Seraph to overshoot. The hunter became the hunted, and vice versa.

"You mean Flame-o," Sergei asked. He paused for a few seconds as he put two and two together. His expression lit up in epiphany, and he let out a sinister mocking laugh. "I get it, you're the hatchling that marked me up over the southern coast! Has he left you all scared and alone!?"

"He's not here thanks to you," Seraph said defiantly as he went into a speedy climb, "but you'll have to deal with me before I let you hurt him!"

"Is that so," Sergei said coyly, "then I guess I'll content myself with killing ya!"

Seraph clenched his teeth as he evaded gunfire from Sergei. He went into a deep dive as the Erusean mercenary followed after him. Cherub himself was jittery and a little queasy from the long fight and Seraph fighting the Beast again. Sergei grinned evilly as he acquired a radar lock on the ISAF fighter.

As soon as the alert tone rang out, Seraph pulled back tight on the joystick. This made his F-14 tilt back on its tail hard, causing Sergei to overshoot. The former Usean rebel let out a grunt of surprise. "Tomcats don't pull cobras," he yelled out.

"Well this one can," Seraph shot back as he locked on and let his Sidewinder loose. Sergei swore as Seraph's missile homed in on him. He barely managed to dispense his flares and bank right as the missile missed his tail. Seraph now was the chaser as both rivals left long and twisted contrails across the sky. Other ISAF and Erusean pilots, and even the retreating ISAF ground forces could not help but watch the vicious entanglement.

Seraph kept Sergei in his sights as he lined up for another missile shot. Sergei could not help but let out a grunt of frustration; this pupil of his hated old enemy was no pushover. It was then that his fuel warning began to blink. His tangle with Angel Wings had lasted for only ten minutes, and he was already bingo fuel. Giving a glare to the white Tomcat, he said, "I'm in no hurry to die at the likes of you... we'll settle this hash another time, Angel Wings!" Banking hard towards the west, he hit his afterburners and blasted away from Seraph's attack range.

"He's retreating..." Cherub watched Sergei's signal move off the radar and out of the combat airspace. The WSO slumped back in his seat, completely exhausted.

Seraph stared off into the distance where his enemy fled. He was relieved to have survived, but grimaced at the fact that Sergei now considered him his rival, and would no doubt keep attacking him at every available opportunity. Then remembering the mission, Seraph shook his head and refocused on defending the evacuation sites. He reoriented his jet towards engaging the remaining Erusean attackers and escorts that were occupied with his allies.

However, as Seraph drew closer, the Erusean planes suddenly stopped firing and began to turn away from the ISAF defenders. Cherub watched as the enemy planes changed their headings to the west, signaling a withdrawal. "Enemy planes are retreating," he reported softly, not quite believing that they were giving up.

Seraph exhaled loudly, now feeling exhausted from the brief, yet intense mission. "What," he remarked, "they got scared of one white fighter?" It was then that his fuel alert tone began to ring in the cockpit. He regarded it with annoyance, "darn... not enough fuel left in this bird..."

"This is the Mako," a call came in, "all surviving allied troops have been loaded, and we are setting sail. We've suffered only minimal casualties on the ground. Many thanks to the White Valley and her squadrons!"

"Roger," the White Valley CIC acknowledged, "attention all aircraft, the operation is confirmed as a success. Return to base."

"Roger that," Angel One replied, vectoring his F-14D back east towards the sea. The other ISAF fighters formed up behind and around Seraph.

"Angel One, what's your status!?"

Seraph raised his visor and removed his mask. "I'm bingo fuel and ammo," he reported, "but we're alright. We'll make it back in one piece." Cherub, on the other hand, could hardly speak a word, now feeling sick in the stomach.

Seraph glanced back at St. Ark, now being abandoned by the Independent States to the Erusean forces. However, the armada of landing ships below reminded Seraph that the enemy had failed in their principal objective of destroying the ISAF Army, which now could be reorganized with other surviving units for a future counterattack. "Erusea... Brynner..." he muttered, "without Stonehenge helping you out here, you're just one country against many others. One day, you'll all face Usea's combined military might..."

Debriefing

Operation Ark Royal is a success. Our forces have safely evacuated to North Point with minimal casualties, and new battle formations are being organized for our return to the mainland. Erusea's command and control, and long-range strike capabilities have also been diminished with the destruction of the Mt. Shezna radar installations.

Now, regarding the enemy pilot in the green-camo Typhoon that Angel One engaged today; audio logs recovered from the battle have confirmed that the individual in question is indeed Sergei Brynner, a war criminal from the Coup of 1998. He is also believed to be the one responsible for the surprise attack on Scarface Squadron that left its flight leader incapacitated, not to mention reports of him massacring fleeing allied squadrons along the eastern coast of the continent. The Independent States has deemed this mercenary a threat to our national security, and the White Valley Carrier Strike Group with its top pilot have been given special directives to eliminate Brynner at the soonest possible moment.

Angel One, may God protect you and grant you a successful hunt.

END