Chapter 2: Annex

The Belkan War is shrouded in mystery. But, now, a decade after the peace accords, a portion of the records was finally released. I quickly got a hold of it. Wanting more details, I acquired information from unknown sources. There was a reason for my obsession.

The roots of the war lie in the Belkan federal law review that took place in 1988. Belka, suffering from economic strife, permitted its eastern territory to secede... And the Republic of Ustio was born. But, Belka's economic troubles did not subside. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the situation, the world superpower, Osea, continued to flourish. Amidst the economic panic, an extreme right-wing party took power within Belka, aiming to restore strength and stability to the nation. And, on March 25th, 1995, with the discovery of natural resources in Ustio, Belka began to invade its neighbors. It was the beginning of the Belkan War.

Unprepared, each country fell quickly before the might of the legendary Belkan Air Force. In just a few days, they occupied all territories, except for the mountain range. In response, the occupied Ustio government military placed all their hopes on a joint operation between Osea and the foreign mercenary forces. This, of course, can be found in any history book. But I noticed a strange similarity in the materials I gathered. There were several accounts about a mercenary, all followed by the codeword, "Demon." But, most of the information was incomplete. Still, I was intrigued. I decided to pursue the history of the Belkan War through this mercenary. I was certain I would find something, there. Would it be the hidden truth behind the war? Or just another battlefield legend?

I wasn't able to meet the mercenary, himself. Actually, it's questionable if he ever did exist. But, thanks to some old friends in the military, I was able to track down several individuals who knew him. "Solo Wing" is one such man.

The men of the squadron sat around in the briefing room, watching the display. A map of an area of Arlon, with several objects noted as targets was the subject. The base operator briefed them.

"We must regain control over Route 171, which runs through Arlon, to secure a transit route for our ground troops. There are bridges along this route, three over the Aare River. All heavily guarded by the Belkan Armored Corps. Securing this route is critical to Ustio's attack on the Belkan forces. Destroy the Belkan ground units blocking passage along this route, and secure this supply line between our forces and the Osean Army. All pilots, prepare for launch."

They all got up and walked out of the room, each heading for their respective hangars. Larry, Pixy's real name, followed Mark.

"Yo, buddy," he said, "this is gonna be an air-to-ground op. I take it, you'll load us out with bombs?"

"You catch on quick, Larry. Where did you learn that air-to-ground ops use a lot of bombs?" Mark replied, sarcastically.

"I was just asking, is all. I'm just concerned that if we're heavy and loaded with anti-ground ordinance, we won't be able to fight off enemy air support."

"If it comes to that, just drop your bombs, and use your Sidewinders," he said, walking into the hangar.

"This guy... He doesn't care at all about collateral damage," Larry thought, "But then, is it really his to judge? We're both just getting paid to destroy enemies. What a sick world this is."

The two boarded their planes and took off, flying towards the mission airspace in relative silence. Within an hour, they'd reached the Aare River, and the Route 171 bridges were in sight.

"This is AWACS Eagle Eye to Galm," a voice came over the radio, "The target is in formation along the highway. Commence the operation."

"Keep an eye on us, up there, AWACS," Pixy replied, from Cipher's wing.

"Pixy, weapons free. Disperse on ground targets," Cipher said, breaking off and accelerating towards the first bridge.

"Belkan ground forces are blocking off our transport route. Destroy them all," Eagle Eye commanded.

The first target to come into Cipher's sights was an anti-aircraft gun. Coming in on it, he fired a short burst from his gun, peppering the ground, and the cannon, with rounds. The gun was obliterated. He turned around for another pass on the bridge, firing on the tanks that guarded it.

"The bridge is clear. On to the next one," he said. Pixy was flying at a much higher altitude, surveying the battlefield.

"This route is Ustio's lifeline. I'll get it back," he said, looking out over the field. He spotted Cipher flying near a group of houses. "Those houses are probably full of Belkan supplies. Better not take any chances."

Cipher passed the houses and dropped a bomb, and Pixy followed suit. The whole cluster of them were destroyed.

Pulling up from his bombing run, Cipher targeted and engaged an enemy plane. The pilot of the F-4 darted back and tried to escape his lock, but to no avail. Cipher launched a missile at the unlucky soul, and it destroyed the plane on impact.

"That's another kill for Galm-1," he said, confirming his shot, "Hey, Pixy, you keepin' up?"

"I'm getting there," the man replied, musingly, as he engaged another target.

Cipher continued along the route, firing on two more F-4s, which had been damaged. Flying low, he blasted another group of enemy ground units, before pulling back up into the sky, firing his remaining missile at a MiG-21 flying overhead.

"The operation is proceeding smoothly," Eagle Eye said, "Eliminate the remaining forces."

"Roger that, Eagle Eye," Cipher said, "Pixy, form up. We're gonna blast those last Belkans out of their foxholes."

"Copy, Galm-1," Pixy replied, flying his plane into formation with Cipher.

"Didn't anyone request backup?" a Belkan accidentally broadcasted to the Ustians, "Keep trying until we get a response!"

"Things are gonna get tricky if enemy reinforcements show up," Pixy said.

"Yeah, so let's get this done quickly."

The two planes sped forward, towards the last enemy position.

"On my mark, Pixy," Cipher said, arming his bomb. They were rapidly approaching the enemy entrenchment at the last bridge.

"Three... Two... One... Mark!" he shouted, dropping the explosive onto a cluster of tanks and anti-air artillery. Pixy did the same, and the combined force of the bombs wiped out the enemy resistance on the banks of the river.

"Just two more tanks on the other bank," Cipher said, turning around for another run. As he passed, he fired his cannon at a tank, while Pixy engaged the other.

"Operation complete," Eagle Eye said, "Now the Allied Forces can secure a military transport route. Well done, Galm Team. Looks like luck was on your side again, Solo Wing."

"Yeah, well, I've had my fill of goin' home without wings," Pixy replied, referring to the legend behind his red wing.

"So, Larry," Mark said, sitting down next to Larry in the Mess Hall, "I've heard some of the rumors. Why don't you tell me about the whole 'Solo Wing' thing?"

"Well," he said, "It was several years ago. I don't even remember, anymore. But, I was flying in combat in that very Eagle I fly today. During the mission, I collided with an enemy pilot. His wing sheared mine off. Somehow, I managed to keep my plane together while I flew home."

"I see," Mark replied, contemplating it, "You know, one of the rumors says you even successfully completed the mission. Crazy stuff."

"Well..." Larry started, "You could say that. The only mission a pilot has in enemy skies is to survive. No more, no less. I survived, so I completed my mission."

"That certainly is one way of looking at it," conceded Mark.