3:48AM
120 Miles South of Mauville City
Gulf of Hoenn
"Rayquaza Flight, engaging! 4 Bandits, 8 Miles!" Connors banked hard right. The enemy plane continued to dash straight toward the four F-15Hs. His plane's Radar Warning Receiver set off, a shrill beeping noise, indicating an incoming missile. Leaving the hard right bank, he turned upside-down, and pulled up hard, in this case pointing the plane down. He deployed both flares and chaff, in an attempt to throw off the missile.
It worked. He managed to avoid the missile, but when he pulled back up, now very close to the choppy waters, he saw an aircraft's afterburners, glowing a bright orange, standing out against the black of the night. His HUD indicated that the aircraft was not friendly. Considering his orders were to engage any non-friendlies, he pulled up and into a hard right turn, allowing him to level out with the jet, then turn left into the kill.
He realised too late that the hostile was heading towards him, not away from him. The plane simply followed him up into the near vertical climb. With the enemy directly below him, and no doubt seconds from shredding him with its gun, he fought the urge to panic and escape by any means possible.
Which was when he had an idea.
An utterly terrible one. One which the instructors had screamed at him for trying back in flight school.
But in his defence, it was pretty fucking cool.
He cut the engines and deployed the airbrakes. He watched the green number on the left of his HUD tick down, falling below 300, 250, 200...
The plane began to shake and complain about the imminent stall. Connors noted that, seeing as he hadn't been turned to mincemeat by now, he might just survive. 150, 100, 50...
Thirty knots. he yanked the stick back, and floored it. The thrust-vectoring engines screamed to life and pushed the F-15H over. It went from 85 degrees up to 90 degrees down in 1 second. Retracting the airbrake, he found his pursuer, who for some reason hadn't fired yet. Taking the opportunity, he lined up the 20mm Vulcan cannon's reticle and opened fire.
A long, continuous burst tore through the front of the plane, killing its pillot as it continued to slow. As Connors rocketed past, he scanned the hostile's features.
An Su-30MK.
With Johtoan markings.
Fuck.
"Rayquaza one Splash One! They're fucking Johtoan!" Connors screamed down the comms triumphantly.
"You fucking what?" Rayquaza 3 responded.
"I said they're Johtoan! Tell Command!"
Rayquaza 3 accepted the order, and contacted SOUCOM with the message. "SOUCOM, this is Rayquaza 3! We are engaged with Johtoan fighters! Relay it to CENTCOM!"
"Rayquaza Lead, can you confirm this?" The SOUCOM controller asked Jake.
"Affirmative, sir. I saw their markings, Johtoan Air Force!"
"Very well. We'll notify CENTCOM and the Government. Hang on there, reinforcements are inbound, they're going as fast as they can."
"Thanks. Rayquaza Lead out."
3:53AM
Hoennic Central Command
Somewhere near La Rousse City
The MH-47G Transport helicopter touched down on the helipad. The rear ramp opened and President Michael Johnson strode out. Instantly, he was surrounded by secretaries and special forces bodyguards.
"Sir!"
"The MoD is waiting for you sir!"
"This way Mr President!"
Johnson followed the herd through a large door cut into the mountain that the helipad was bolted to the side of. The door led to the very large and very classified complex known as the 'Diglett's den', named for its abundance of exposed-rock corridors, one of many budgetary corner-cuts of Hoenn's massive military expansion during the 80s.
Johnson turned to his secretary, a petite young woman holding a clipboard. "Where is the cabinet right now?"
The secretary responded quietly. "Conference room th-" her voice was drowned by the sound of the Chinook powering up. Johnson turned around to see the helo lift off the helipad, pitch back, and race away from the landing site.
With the sound of the helicopter now quieter, he asked a second time. "Come again?"
"Conference room 37, sir."
"Thanks ma'am." He briskly walked, following the signs to the room. Each corridor ended in a door with 2 armed guards. Usually this would be overkill, but with Protocol One in effect, no risks would be taken.
Eventually, he reached the room. Opening the door, he was instantly hit by the wave of tension. The room was a long rectangle. The only light came from a huge screen at the end of the room, and a table that stretched the length of the room. 12 men and women in suits sat along the table, each with a bottle of water and a plaque that displayed their name and position. Johnson's seat was at the end of the table nearest the door.
"Sorry I'm late, everyone. What's the situation?"
The minister of defence, one Mortimer Harris, replied. "Mauville city has been hit by multiple missiles. The fleet stationed there is believed to be crippled and trapped in port. Cruise missiles continue to head towards multiple cities and military bases nationwide. Our radar systems are operating at just over 30% capacity. Johtoan aircraft have probed our defences and Hoennic peacekeepers in the Orre region have been attacked by pro-Johto militias."
"Yeah, I've had better mornings. Have we declared war yet?" Johnson asked.
"We have within government, but no statement has been made. That'll be your job, Sir."
"Very well. What are our options?"
An older woman at the end of the table spoke up. "As far as we're concerned, a nuclear strike is out of the picture. The Air National Guard is currently engaged with the Johtoan Air Force, with standard Air Force backup on its way. The aircraft carrier HNS Liberation is currently scrambling jets to attack the Johtoan missile cruiser known as the Makinami."
"OK. What are our options for the Peacekeepers in Orre?"
"We've ordered a retreat but logistics are tight. The UN have ordered a ceasefire in the area."
Johnson, slightly annoyed, replied, "That's just fucking patronising. They attack us, then those goons politely ask them not to! Who do they think they are?"
"Sir, let's stay civil. What do you want us to do about this situation?"
"Isn't it obvious? We defend until the first assault clears. Then, need to do two things. Number one, build up defences along the coast, and two, prepare a counter-assault."
One of the Bureaucrats in the back spoke up. "Are you sure that'll work? There's no certainty that any of this will stop the-"
"My apologies Sir, I forgot you're still afraid of whole numbers. We either act now or die because we waited. I'm a believer of the former option."
Just then, a woman from the Ministry of Defence ran in to the room. "Sir!"
"What is it?" The President asked?
"We've got word from the Johtoan government. There's been a coup d'etat.
That's it for this chapter. I appreciate the feedback I've recieved so far. Hoenn has finally recovered from the initial attack, and are now a force to be reckoned with. However, Johto's doctrine (Which is based on modern Russian/Chinese Starategy) Involves huge numbers of upgraded hardware and overwhelming force (More similar to the Soviet strategy circa 1984).
Other than that, I'll see you next time.
