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Legendary Aces 2: Hero of Emmeria
Chapter 4: Sipli Field
-Fortunes of War-
-Talisman-
Campagna Airport, Brilliante Heights
1835hrs 26 November 2015 (Brilliante Heights Time)
"Hey, Talisman, what's up?" Avalanche called to me as he and Windhover were walking over.
"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!" I dropped down from the bar after finishing my set of one hundred one arm pull-ups.
"Pull-ups with one arm?" Avalanche said.
Daniel Pollini, Leader of the 15th Fighter Squadron "Windhover", and Freddie Durand, leader of the 2nd Strike Fighter Squadron "Avalanche", had become friendlier with me ever since the war started. It wasn't an unwelcome change, all things considered, but Windhover recently started hitting on me. I wasn't sure if I should hear them out or run.
"To what do I owe the honor of visits from the leaders of the Avalanche and Windhover squadrons?" I asked. I narrowed my eyes and stared Windhover down. "I sure hope a certain Windhover isn't trying to get a date with me again."
"Always." He held a straight face for exactly ten seconds before I won the staring contest.
"If you wanna tap this, you've gotta at least beat my stare down. Weak, boy, weak!"
"Don't give up, Windhover, I'm sure..." I raised my eyebrow at Avalanche, causing him to quickly change the topic. "Never mind. Anyway, his highness, Ghost Eye, wants us to meet up at 0330 in the morning for briefing."
"Couldn't have been earlier?" I moaned. "Ugh. Looks like I'm going to bed early. Thanks. Have you already talked to Marcus?"
"Yeah, we bumped into him on our way over here." Avalanche said.
"Good, thanks." The two turned away and started to walk off, but I caught their attention before they left. "Hey, Windhover." I ran up behind him before he could turn back around.
"Hmm?" I gave him a quick peck on his cheek as he turned around.
"Satisfied?"
"You're such a kidder, Talisman."
"Oh, come on. We gotta have a little fun don't we?" I smiled at the two before they turned away.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Thanks again, guys. I'll see you at the briefing."
"Yep."
I grabbed my phone from my bag, which was lying next to the pull-up bar, and checked the time. It was already 1838! 0330 came early, and I wanted my sleep, so I went to take a quick shower and went to the barracks. I was fast asleep by 1930.
I ended up waking up a full hour before the briefing, and it felt like the longest hour in history.
-Briefing-
"You've been ordered to start the mission now.
"The interception op was a success, enemy air units around Khesed have been weakened, and the Republic of Emmeria's military has taken full advantage of this prime opportunity to initiate a counterattack operation with all forces participating.
"Enemy forces have established a wide-scale defensive line around Sipli Field, consisting largely of tank battalions. Our ground forces are set up to cross the river and penetrate it, and eventually regain control of Khesed.
"Garuda Team, we need you to support our advancing ground units, and eliminate all enemy forces. Multiple units will be simultaneously carrying out various missions on the ground. Pay attention to the airspace above each operation area, and provide support as needed.
"This must be the first time you've ever participated in a mission of this scale. Use of the All Direction Missile components, or ADM, of your newly acquired F-15P fighters will be invaluable to this mission. The battle simulator is a good way to get some practical experience under your belt and has been modified to account for the addition of the ADM in your arsenal.
"Godspeed."
-Talisman-
-Mission Start-
Sipli Field 44'48'00"N 32'01'36"E
0500hrs 27 November 2015 (Brilliante Heights Time)
0600hrs 27 November 2015 (Sipli Field Time)
""Get some practice in the battle simulator," he says." I mumbled over the radio. "He picked a hell of a time for the briefing if we were supposed to run through a simulation."
"Yeah, we didn't have much time after the briefing before starting the mission." Marcus said. "We can always get some practice in later for future missions, though."
"I suppose, though I don't really see why I need to... I've already been on a few black ops missions in the Circum-Pacific War, which I can talk about now since they are declassified." I was already grumpy after sitting around for an hour after I woke up, and then our briefing officer suggested simulation practice before the mission, yet there was no time to actually run any simulations before the mission started. Maybe a battle was just what I needed to jolt back to normal.
"Ghost Eye to all forces. We're about to engage enemy units on the other side of the river from multiple angles."
"This is Warlock Battalion. We'll be keeping the central unit occupied."
"Quox Battalion here. We're set up to hit all enemy units on the east side."
"Steel Gunners here. We've got the west side covered."
"Garuda Team, provide cover for our troops on the ground and eliminate all Estovakian ground forces." Ghost Eye ordered.
"Only the ground forces?" I asked. "Oops. Shamrock and I just took out two enemy fighters."
"Funny. Choose any area you want to cover. Cross the return line if you need supplies. It's at the south end of the airspace."
"Roger that, Ghost Eye." I said as I swerved around the debris of another enemy fighter I had just destroyed.
"They've got way more guys that us. Great confidence booster, huh?" Marcus said.
"Yeah. Good thing we believe in quality over quantity, right? Better get your ADMs handy. I have a feeling we'll be needing them."
"Already done. Let's get on it, Garuda 1."
I switched my weapon selection to my ADMs and opened up with two simultaneous launches on the center enemy forces. Sixteen high-tech high-powered paragon missiles launched, eight from each ADM pod. I heard several oh's and ah's over the radio from the Warlock Battalion as a large portion of their targets were wiped out in one swift move.
"Amazing, Garuda Team." The Warlock Commander said.
"The ADM is a nice weapon isn't it?"
"Yes, thank you. We can handle the rest in the central area. Please move on to the others. I'll let you know if we need any more assistance."
"Good."
"Did you know that ninety percent of our operational forces are out on the battlefield?" Avalanche said.
"I love it. It's the bet of a lifetime." Windhover replied.
"A bet you say?" I asked. "I like bets. What's the terms?"
"Hmm... I bet I can get more kills than Avalanche." Windhover said.
"What? No way." Avalanche argued.
I couldn't help but side with Avalanche, if only to be against Windhover. "I bet you can't."
"Thanks, Talisman."
"Alright, how about if I do beat him in kills, we go drinking tonight?" Windhover suggested.
"Are you trying to corner me into a drinking date?" I asked slyly. "Windhover, Windhover, you know we're on active duty!"
"What's letting off a little stress with a drink going to hurt?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. So if you win, we go on a little drinking date. I could live with that. But if Avalanche wins, you're my slave for one day, and his slave the day after. AND Shamrock's slave the third day."
"I accept, but the drinks are your treat if I win."
"Sounds good to me."
"Ho-ho! You better think about that, Windhover." Marcus said. "Avalanche has been doing some pretty rigorous training."
"And I can think of some pretty harsh things you'll have to do once I beat you." Avalanche added.
"You're just not gonna beat me. Simple as that." Windhover said.
"Yeah, sure you will. I'm looking forward to having a slave."
"Anyway guys, focus." I said. "It's a good thing you aren't competing with me... I've already racked up thirty five kills."
"The ADM is cheating." Avalanche said.
"Yeah, but it was only sixteen of that thirty five. I've taken out several fighters and a few ground targets without it. Which is still enough to be way ahead of both of you."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Anyway, I'm heading over to the west side."
"Be careful. Looks like they got some anti-aircraft guns in the mix." Windhover reported. "Better go in ready for anything."
"Thanks. That gives me an idea." I switched to my ADM again. "Hey, Ghost Eye, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it, Talisman?"
"Can you pinpoint all of the anti-aircraft guns and surface-to-air missile units for me? Send the data as Operation D. I'm going to wipe all of their anti-air capabilities."
"Roger that. I'll send the data in just a moment."
"Thanks."
"That's a smart move." Marcus said. "Can I get a copy of that data as well?"
"Roger that, Garuda 2." Ghost Eye replied.
While Ghost Eye was busy compiling the anti-aircraft, I bolted after a pair of enemy Mirage 2000-S fighters.
"Bandit on my tail!" The Estovakian pilot said. "I need backup!"
"Too late." I filled his plane full of holes and swerved away to avoid getting hit by the resulting debris. I turned hard and started to chase after his wingman, but Marcus had already been on his tail and was finishing him off as I got him in my sights. "Good job, Shamrock."
"Thanks, but we're not out of the park yet."
"Yeah, I see them, too. A squadron of four on my six." I said. "Looks like I made myself a prime target after opening up with the ADM attack. If they focus on me long enough, can you try to take out one or two?"
"I'll do better than that." Marcus ducked into a nearby cloud to hide for a moment descended to a lower altitude.
I passed above the cloud at nearly Mach 2 with the enemy squadron hot on my tail. Marcus flew back up to level altitude, behind the squadron, and switched to his AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles.
"Fox Three." Just as he fired on them, all four of the enemy fighters fired on me. I evaded in a hard down turn. Luckily for me, I didn't have to work very hard to evade them. All four enemy fighters exploded from Marcus's attack before they could launch another round at me.
"They must have been using AIM-7s. Semi Actives are garbage if you can't follow your target."
"No kidding." Shamrock said. "They would have had much better luck with the AIM-9x."
"Not against me. Aunt Allison taught me how to evade those as easy as any other missile."
"Who's that?"
"Brigadier General Allison Bartlett of ISAF, also known as Mobius One. She's my aunt, and taunt me pretty much everything I know."
"You're related to Mobius One?" Avalanche asked.
"Get with the program guys, I'm related to a lot of aces. My mother is Lieutenant General Layla Bartlett of the Osean Air Defense Force, also known as Cipher and Demon Lord of the Round Table. My sister is probably the most famous pilot in the world right now. Lieutenant Colonel Kye Akari of the Osean Air Defense Force, also known as Blaze."
"Blaze? You mean the one that currently holds the title Ace of Aces? The Captain of the Legendary Razgriz squadron?"
"Yeah. Jeez, I thought you guys already knew that."
"You can discuss Talisman's family ties later, people." Ghost Eye interrupted. "Talisman, I have your anti-aircraft data ready. I'm sending it to you and Shamrock."
"Good. We'll take them out, thanks." An operation labeled D popped up on my radar. I switched over to it and found a handful of AA guns and SAMs scattered about. "Marcus, you take out the anti-aircraft targets on the east side. I'll cover the west side."
"What about the central area?"
"Apparently, I destroyed them with my ADM attack earlier. There's no anti-aircraft targets there at all."
"Roger."
Marcus flew off toward the east as directed, and I turned my attention to the enemy AA units in front of Steel Gunners. There were exactly a mix of eight AA guns and SAMs scattered, just enough for one ADM to cover. "ADM away."
"Confirmed destruction of all anti-aircraft targets in the western sector." Ghost Eye reported. "And in the eastern sector. Good job, Garuda Team."
"I'm not done yet." I switched my radar to operation A, where Warlock Battalion was in combat, and saw only a handful of targets left. I flew over there and finished off the last several targets with my fourth ADM, leaving only two ADM pods left.
"The main enemy battalion has been destroyed. Thanks for that sweet air cover boys."
"Teamwork's a beautiful thing, ain't it?" One of the Warlock Battalion soldiers said.
"Boys? What's that supposed to me?" I said.
"Sorry, Talisman. You know you're our favorite gal." The Warlock leader said.
"Careful with the praise. I might get tempted to bail out and come give you a friendly kiss."
"I wouldn't say no to that."
"I bet you wouldn't, but it'd only be on the cheek."
"Better than nothin', but you should probably stay in your angel a little longer. The dance isn't quite over yet."
"Nope. The slow dance is over. Time to pick up the pace."
"Warlock is right behind you. We're gonna branch off into two groups and provide cover for the other battalions."
"Roger that, Warlock." Ghost Eye said. "The mission's going better than expected. If even one of our remaining units can make it through, the entire enemy line will collapse."
"And if they both make it through?" I asked.
"All the better, Garuda 1."
"Consider it done." Marcus said.
"Steal Gunners here. Moving to engage the enemy across the river. Requesting support."
"This is Garuda 1. Roger that Steel Gunners. I'm right above you."
"Shamrock, Quox Battalion is a small scale unit. Don't let the enemy surround them. They'll need the best backup you've got to offer." Ghost Eye ordered.
"Roger that, Ghost Eye." Marcus said.
"This is Quox. Advancing to engage the enemy across the river. Do me a favor and take care of any little guys tryin' to get in our way."
"We can provide ground assistance once you're in range of ESM." A second Quox soldier reported.
"Roger. This is Garuda 2, I see eight enemy choppers above you, Quox. I'm taking them out."
I watched on my radar as Marcus launched one of his ADMs. He had four left. I should have been more conservative with my ADMs since I only had two left.
"Ghost Eye to Garuda Team, listen up. Aircraft that have already completed their operation objective are being sent your way. Call them in when you need backup."
"Why not just reassign them now?" I asked. "With Windhover and Avalanche squadrons with us, I don't think we'll need backup."
"I'm open to suggestions."
"How many are finished?"
"Two squadrons of four each."
"Send one squadron to Operation C where I'm at, and one to Operation B where Garuda 2 is at."
"Will do, Talisman."
"Also, Windhover, Avalanche, what are your positions?"
"Windhover here. My squadron is currently assisting you with Steel Gunners."
"Avalanche here. We're above Quox Battalion. Operation B is almost finished."
"Scratch that, we're done over here." Marcus reported.
"This is Quox, we're about to mop up whatever little guys are left out here."
"You make our lives easy, air force!" A second Quox soldier added.
"Ghost Eye, on second thought, send both of those freed up squadrons over here. Shamrock, Avalanche, float between Warlock and Quox to keep the sky sanitized of enemy fighters." I said.
"Roger." Everyone said in unison.
There was still several targets left in Operation C. Steel Gunners had just taken out a wave of enemies after crossing the river. I didn't want to burn any more ADM pods to finish off this part. Luckily, Steel Gunners were gaining ground, and there were two secondary squadrons in addition to myself and Windhover on their way.
"Windhover, what secondary weapons are you squadron carrying?" I asked.
"Two of us are carrying AIM-120s and the other two are carrying LAU-68s."
"LAU-68s? Good." The LAU-68 Rocket Pod would be handy for taking out a group of ground targets. "Can you take care of the clusterfuck in the back?"
"On it, Talisman."
"Hey, that's going to put Windhover ahead!" Avalanche whined.
"You should've been over here earlier." I said. "Don't blame me if they win the bet."
"Garuda, can you hit these pillboxes?" Steel Gunners requested. "We're having some trouble with them."
"Roger that." I turned and headed toward the target.
"This is Yellow Jacket, the chopper unit. We've confirmed self-propelled artillery across the river."
"Bird Eater to Yellow Jacket. They've got too many anti-aircraft guns. We can't get in close enough."
"Anti-aircraft guns? But I already took care of those."
"No that's my fault, Talisman." Ghost Eye said. "I missed four AA guns. They were concealed earlier."
"Yeah, I see them now, too." I said.
"Garuda, if you can take care of the AA guns, we will assist Steel Gunners with the pillboxes." Yellow Jacket said.
"Roger that." I was reluctant, but I switched to my ADM again. I picked up the four AA guns and four nearby enemy tanks before firing. A few seconds later, the pillboxes disappeared from the radar, but they were replaced by two more enemy Mirage 2000-S fighters coming in from the north. I bolted after them.
"Thanks, Garuda." Yellow Jacket said
"Windhover to Talisman, we just finished clearing up the back of the battlefield."
"Good, that only leaves one wave of targets for Steel Gunners."
"We've got this." Steel Gunners said.
"And I've got these two." I quickly gunned down one of the Mirage fighters and watched as the second blew up before I could get to it. "Ho-ho, Windhover, good shot."
"All in a day's work."
"The enemy siege has collapsed Captain, now's our chance!" A Steel Gunners soldier said.
I watched as the Steel Gunners, assisted by Warlock on their east flank, fired one last assault on their targets and successfully finished them off.
"Steel Gunners here. We've taken control of the gun site. Thanks for the air support."
"Those guys are reliable." The other soldier said.
"Read 'em and weep, Stovies! That's quality over quantity." Warlock said.
"Enemy forces have been dealt a heavy blow." Ghost Eye reported. "All planes, move into action against any forces still remaining."
"All pests are down. Get moving!" Quox added.
"They're not going anywhere." Marcus said. "I won't let them get away."
"I'm sending your new battle data now." Ghost Eye said.
The final battalion of ground forces finally appeared on radar. This was the home stretch, so I wasn't afraid to dump my last ADM.
"Shamrock, I'm going to drop my last ADM on these guys to thin out the herd. You should follow suit with a double launch after mine hit. Wait until mine hit so we don't overlap targets."
"Roger, Talisman."
With three ADM launches, we took out twenty-four targets in a matter of seconds.
"That stunt just cut their forces in half." Ghost Eye reported. "Heads up, there's a high speed enemy squadron approaching from the north. They are flying SU-33s."
"Let's get 'em."
"Talisman, don't go thinking we can win this war all by ourselves. If the enemy becomes more than you can handle, don't be afraid to request allied support."
"Not a bad idea, but I've got this. Just for safe measures, Windhover, Avalanche, be ready to jump in."
"Roger." They said.
"This is Captain Zoran Mikulanec, leader of Drakon Squadron. We must assist our remaining forces before they are completely wiped out."
"Drakon 2 here, it seems we are late to the party. Most of our forces are already wiped out."
"That's the reward of arrogance." Drakon 3 added. "If we had scrambled sooner, we may have arrived on time."
"It's too late for what may have happened." Drakon 4 said. "We can at least take out their fighters."
"Drakon Squadron, prepare for combat." Mikulanec ordered. "Our targets are the two F-15s. Radio transmissions from the ground suggest they have weapons similar to the ADMM. Be aware and do not underestimate the opposition. They have the numerical advantage now."
"Roger, Captain." The other three Drakon pilots said.
"Garuda Team, your opponents are Estovakia's Drakon Squadron. They are elite and said to be on par with Strigon Team."
"Roger, Ghost Eye." I said. "Shamrock, let's go."
Marcus opened up with an ADM launch, and I simultaneously fired four AIM-120s. I only took down one with the AIM-120s, and the rest evaded Shamrock's ADM attack.
"They're good." I said.
Two of them immediately took after me with the third going after Marcus.
"One on my tail. I can take care of it." Marcus said. "Are you okay, Talisman?"
"I've got two after me, but I'm fine. They may be good, but they are nothing compared to dogfighting with Blaze, Cipher, and Mobius One."
"You believe yourself to be on part with the world's best aces?" Mikulanec said.
"Heh." I whipped around and gunned down one of the bandits that were after me before turning over to take out the one on Marcus's tail.
"What?! How..."
"I assume you are the Drakon leader?" I asked.
"Captain Zoran Mikulanec of the Estovakian Air Force 80th Aviation Regiment, 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Drakon, callsign Balron."
"I'm Captain Yami Akari of the Republic of Emmeria 28th Fighter Squadron, Garuda. I am also a Captain of the International Paragon Forces and currently ranked fourth behind only Blaze, Mobius One, and Cipher. My callsign is Talisman."
"I see now. You are more than a worthy adversary. The Strigon Team will be excited to do battle with you."
"I look forward to it." I got a lock on his plane and gunned him down. "Farewell, Zoran Mikulanec."
"Good job, Garuda Team. This area has been cleared of enemy forces." Ghost Eye reported. "Mission complete. Get back to base."
"That's one step closer to Gracemeria." Marcus said. "Garuda 1, I've got a hunch we'll be going home a lot sooner with you on board. I'm counting on you Talisman."
"I sure hope so." I said.
"Hey, Avalanche, how many did you get?" Windhover asked.
"Sixteen."
"I got twenty-two. Looks like I won the bet. Garuda 1, I'm gonna hold you to it! You better be coming for a drink tonight!"
"Yeah, yeah, just don't try to get into my pants if I end up having too much to drink."
"Of course not!"
"I somehow don't believe you, Windhover." Avalanche said.
"Yeah, I've seen you staring. You can look all you want, but no touchy!" I added.
"Yeah, yeah, why do you guys have to gang up on me?" Windhover asked.
"Ha-ha, come on Windhover, you ought to know better by now!" Marcus said.
-Post Mission-
"Thanks to your efforts we have completed this mission successfully. Emmerian forces were able to extend to the center of Khesed, expanding their power in the region.
"Estovakian forces were driven off the front line, and have retreated to Bartolomeo Fortress, which is located in the center of the island. The Estovakian ace squadron, Balron Team, has also been defeated.
"This mission should have given the Estovakians a good taste of what our forces are capable of. Soon we'll be able to drive all Estovakian forces out of Khesed."
-Emmerian Pilot-
Interrogation Room, Gracemeria
0630hrs 27 November 2015 (Brilliante Heights Time)
1130hrs 27 November 2015 (Gracemeria Time)
A man I didn't recognize entered the room. So this guy's up next, huh? Hope he's happy with my name, rank, number, and birthday 'cause that's all he's gonna get out of me.
He's all skin and bones, with eyes like a hawk. But that badge and the cane. Old "hawk-eyes" here must've broken his wings in combat.
Hey, look at me. I'm no different.
The sky I took for granted now seems so far away. Now that my little adventure here with "hawk-eyes" is over, all that awaits me is a prison cell.
-Voychek-
I turned to the window as my subordinate took the Emmerian prisoner away. These prisoners have lost their will to fight.
The Emmerian military administration is broken. They have nobody in power to provide the support they need. It's only a matter of time before they collapse.
-Kye-
Gracemeria
0700hrs 27 November 2015 (Brilliante Heights Time)
1200hrs 27 November 2015 (Gracemeria Time)
I found a woman and a young girl while I was out to buy food. Their home was destroyed, and they were forced to live out on the streets.
I couldn't help myself. I had to help them.
I gave them some bread and water, which they were happy to receive.
"Thank you, miss. What is your name?"
"Hikari." I said.
"That's an unusual name."
"It's not actually a name. It means "light" in my native language. If you and your daughter would like to come with me, I have a place where you can stay. It's not much, but you'll be safe there, and there's food and water."
"Th-thank you." She and her daughter stood up and followed me. I had to be extra careful about the return trip to the underground. The kids weren't expecting anyone but me to return.
The woman and her daughter were grateful, and the kids were happy to have another child around. The young girl looked to be about Matilda's age.
I told them my real name once we were safe in our hideout. They were surprised to meet someone as famous as me. I felt weird at first, being recognized like that, but it didn't surprise me.
Since the Circum-Pacific war, I had spent most of my time either on base or at home. I wasn't much for going out in public, especially after the Razgriz and Paragon announcement.
The woman told me her name and that her husband was an air force pilot. Her name was Monica Lampert, and her daughter's name was Jessica Lampert. I recognized her last name, and she confirmed that she was Marcus Lampert's wife.
I remembered that he was assigned to be Yami's wingman during the invasion a few months ago from listening in on their radio transmission with my portable radio. I wondered if he was still flying with her.
My thoughts shifted to Yami. I wondered how she was doing, how she was coping with the war. She was a goofball on the outside, but could be very serious when the occasion called for it. Be safe, little sister.
Edit 17-November-2013: Format updated.
Edit 03-December-2013: Names of Marcus Lampert's wife and daughter corrected.
Edit 26-June-2016: Trimmed Author's Notes, story marked complete.
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