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Legendary Aces 2: Hero of Emmeria
Chapter 21: Liberation of Gracemeria Part 2
-Wings Triumphant-
-Layla-
Northwest of Gracemeria
1249hrs 31 March 2015 (Gracemeria Time)
"This is Cipher of Galm Team. We just arrived above the target airspace and will proceed with the destruction of the Estovakian fortress."
"This is Pixy of Galm Team, I can confirm that."
"Sky Eye here, proceed. Remember that you only need to disable the defenses. Try not to damage the fortress too much. Our ground forces will do a clean sweep once they have the all clear from you."
It's a good thing we managed to get Sky Eye here so fast. I met up with Yami again after her briefing when she was talking to Ghost Eye. He was trying to find a second AWACS to cover some of the operations in the Liberation, but there were none experienced enough to handle it. Thankfully, one of our scramjets was stationed at Allison's base, so we managed to get Sky Eye out here in time for the mission. Ghost Eye set him up in his spare plane.
"Roger that." I said. "Pixy, you ready?"
"Ready as I'll never be. Lead the way, Buddy."
From our ultra-high altitude, I dropped down in a nose dive and headed directly for the fortress. It was riddled with SAMS, AA guns, and multiple ground defenses. Our objective was to clear all of them out.
"This should take long. All we have to do is bombard the place with Dart missiles."
"Too easy. I say we get 'em with our guns."
"Be my guest, but you'll get Swiss cheesed."
"I like Swiss cheese."
"I like your style."
"I like my style, too."
"What about my style?"
"Eh, too much paint on your second wing."
"You don't have enough paint on your second wing."
"Touché."
"Détruit. (French: Destroyed.)"
"No hablo. (Spanish: I don't speak.)"
"Dann deutsch? (German: How about Belkan?"
"Ich bin ein deutscher, du Scheisskopf. (I am Belkan, you shithead.)"
"Ich habe vierundzwanzig Ziele so weit zerstört, und Sie haben Null. Mach deinen Job, Pixy. (I have destroyed twenty four targets so far, and you have zero. Do your job, Pixy.)"
"Warten Sie... (Wait for it...)" He said with a pause. "Sechzehn bezwungen. Was war das, Buddy? (Sixteen down. What was that, Buddy?)"
"Vierundzwanzig mehr besiegt. (Twenty four more down.)"
"Fick dich mit deinen verbesserten Scheiß! (Get the fuck out with your upgraded shit.)"
"Nicht meine Schuld dass Sie schwach sind. (Not my fault you suck.)"
"Nicht meine Schuld dass ich nicht die ausgefallene Spielsachen bekommen habe. (Not my fault I didn't get the fancy toys.)
"Die X-03 ist nicht schick genug? (The X-03 isn't fancy enough?)"
"Nicht mehr. (Not anymore.)"
"Would you two mind talking in Osean or Emmerian, please?" Sky Eye asked.
"No hablo. (Spanish: I don't speak.)" Pixy retorted.
"Sky Eye, I thought you knew Belkan." I said.
"I do know it. On the rare occasion she speaks, Mobius One usually uses Belkan. However, I'm not the only one on the AWACS, and they are asking for translations."
"Ah. Well I suppose I can stick to Emmerian, but my somewhat faithful wingman is stubborn, so good luck with him."
"She's right. I'm terrible."
"Very terrible."
"So terrible that I'm out of targets."
"Indeed."
"Uh..." Sky Eye paused for a minute, probably to check his radar. "Confirmed. Well done, Galm Team."
"Is it bad that I paid more attention to our banter than destroying the targets?" I asked.
"Only if I can't get away with it either. The mission was a snooze fest."
"Agreed. So, Sky Eye, what next? We done?"
"Your mission is accomplished, but I want you to remain and patrol the area in case enemy planes come while the ground forces are there."
"Roger that." I said. "Also, Pixy. Wie wäre es mit einem Spiel von "Eye Spy". (German: So, Pixy. How about a game of "Eye Spy"?)"
"Ich hab mit meinem kleinen Auge ... ein verbessertes Spielzeug ausspioniert. (I spy with my little eye... an upgraded toy.)"
"Sie müssen das gehen lassen. (You've got to let that go.)"
"Nie! (Never!)"
-York-
North of Gracemeria
1249hrs
"This is Scarface One, callsign Phoenix. I have the enemy airfield in sight. Awaiting orders."
"Scarface Two, callsign Siren, on standby." Chizuru added.
"Roger that Scarface Team." Sky Eye said. "Hammerhead, what is your status?"
"We are cruising a short distance behind Scarface Team. As soon as the air defenses are destroyed, we will commence with bombing the enemy airfield."
"Good. Scarface Team, proceed with the mission."
"Roger." I said as I hit the throttle and bolted toward the first target. "Siren, I got the right side, you cover the left."
"Roger, Phoenix."
The airfield was rather large for one constructed so quickly. There were two long runways, either one capable of handling even the largest transports with length to spare. Alongside either runway stood a line of hangars and anti-air weapons.
Using the ADM system I locked on to a total of sixteen targets, a mix of SAMs and AA guns, long before I ever got into their range. One double launch was all I needed to clear out my targets, same for Chizuru.
"Sky Eye to Scarface. I am picking up an enemy squadron incoming from the north."
"Roger that." I said. "I see them on my radar."
"There's also some planes coming out of the hangars." Chizuru added. "Should we let them take off or drop them where they are?"
"This operation is too important." I replied. "We can't risk it."
"Copy that." She said as we dove down toward the hangar the target planes were taxiing from.
There were four planes. On the ground, they were easy targets, so we made two passes, gunning one down each during each pass so as to not waste missiles that could otherwise be used on an airborne threat.
"Targets down." Chizuru reported.
"Confirmed."
"Scarface, the incoming squadron is closing in on your position." Sky Eye called out. "They are roughly ten miles out."
"Roger. Moving to intercept now. After we down them, check the radar again before clearing Hammerhead."
"I've already checked. There's no other enemy planes even remotely in your area. The closest are the targets that Mobius Team are currently in combat with."
"Copy."
I hit my thrusters and bolted toward the targets with Chizuru following closely behind. The targets were SU-33s, and once we were in range, they fired their long range missiles.
I executed my evasive maneuver for countering long range missiles, which was simply to accelerate further and pull up at a moderate angle. The missiles flew under us by several hundred feet, and were rendered useless as they didn't have enough fuel left to turn back toward us.
Neither Chizuru nor I let up on speed, and soon intercepted the enemy fighters. We got around behind them quickly and wasted no time firing missiles, downing the first two. After a short air battle with the remaining two, we managed to land a missile hit on them as well.
"All enemy planes confirmed destroyed." Sky Eye reported. "Hammerhead you are clear."
"Roger that, Sky Eye. We'll make quick work of the airfield."
-Allison-
Northeast of Gracemeria
1249hrs
"This is Mobius Leader reporting in. Mobius Team is inbound to the target coordinates. Arrival time is estimated at twenty seconds."
"Target is Estovakia's primary armory." Mare added.
"Correct." Sky Eye said. "Remember that the Estovakian Ace Squadron Morion is stationed at that armory. They are currently headed toward your position."
"Roger." I replied.
The Moroi are just mortal vampires, whereas the Strigoi are immortal vampires. I'd much rather take down the Strigon Team than the Morion Team.
I took a deep breath, banked to the left, and pulled down toward the armory. Targets were riddled everywhere. They included SAMs, AA guns, large cannons, and there was even a miniaturized railgun similar to the Stonehenge turrets mounted on a concrete platform to the left of the single runway. I saw two more concrete platforms with bases that could support more railguns as well.
They intend to install more railguns.
The next thing I saw was a group of planes lined up on one end of the runway. The runway itself was just barely long enough to support fighter jets.
I switched my missile selector to the PAGM-45 Strike Missile, quickly set a manual guided target lock to the center of the runway, and fired. My missile hit the target dead on and chunked a large hole that stretched all the way across the runway. It was no longer usable.
My missile alarm sounded just as I started to pull up, but the trajectory of the incoming missile would not allow it to hit me, so I ignored it. It didn't even pass close enough to enter the XF-04's force field.
"Nightmare, target the railgun. Use a PAGM-45. Then hit as many targets as possible with your ADM system."
"Roger."
Mare didn't follow me when I pulled down, as our usual strategy involves me getting a close view of the target before executing the most efficient strategy.
I pulled back up to a high altitude just as she had finished firing her ADM. The railgun had already been destroyed. I turned back toward the base and locked on to a total of twenty four targets before firing my ADM.
Taking advantage of the ADM's range, we picked off all the easy targets before finally switching to our PPB-17 Buster Missiles. We each fired one and watched as the armory itself was leveled.
"Mobius One, the Morion Squadron is inbound to your position bearing 1-5-0. They are roughly twenty miles out."
"How many?"
"All eight are inbound."
"Roger that. We will make quick work of them." I said as I hit the afterburners. I didn't let off until I reached Mach 3. Mare and I cleared the distance to the targets quickly.
Both of us fired an ADM volley, and managed to clear out three of the targets, leaving five remaining.
"What's the stakes?" Mare asked.
"Chocolate cake." I said.
Every time Mare and I went up against an uneven number of targets, we would make a bet to see who could down the most. I usually won, but she did get lucky on occasion. The stakes were usually some sort of junk food, which the loser had to prepare.
The first two planes for each of us fell in quick succession to simple gunfire. But as both of us targeted the Morion Leader, we both kicked it up a notch. I managed to get a target lock first, but waited to fire until I saw a missile leave her plane.
"Hey! You let me win. What the hell?"
"Your chocolate cake sucks."
"Really? You lost on purpose just so you wouldn't have to eat my Chocolate Cake?"
"Yep."
"I'll remember that."
"All enemy forces are confirmed destroyed. Good job, Mobius Team, and in record time." Sky Eye reported.
"You say that every time we sortie." Mare said.
"You always clear your missions faster than expected."
"Then expect better." I said. "You should know better by now."
"You're mean, Mobius One."
"Mmm."
-Jack-
Southeast of Gracemeria
1258hrs
"Chopper, Archer, how are you on ammo?" I asked.
"Still got half my missiles and I'm only two ADM pods down." Chopper answered.
"I'm at half my missiles and three ADM pods down." Archer added.
"Good." I said.
"I wanna know where these Estovakians got all these ships. We've destroyed fifteen between the three of us alone!"
"There ain't much tellin'." I said. "Sky Eye, this is Razgriz Commander, how are the other operations going?"
"Galm, Scarface, and Mobius are all finished. They are currently patrolling their operation airspace."
"Roger. How about the main event in the city?"
"I'll patch you through to Ghost Eye."
"Go ahead."
"This is Ghost Eye, how can I help, Razgriz Commander?"
"How are the operations in the city going?"
"They are going smoothly. The airfield has been recaptured, the naval operation is completed, the radio station and capitol building teams are making good progress, and Lieutenant Colonel Akari just launched from the Halcyon."
"She's airborne?"
"Affirmative."
"Good, thanks. That's all."
"Roger. Signing off."
I reached to my second screen and started to send a message to Kid, but her name wasn't popping up on the list, so I had to send it to her sister.
"Send Kid my way as soon as you can." My message read.
She responded quickly. "She has one operation to clear, then I'll send her your way."
Good.
"Hey, Motormouth."
"Yeah?"
"Guess who's headin' this way soon?"
"Your Mom?"
"I'll tell Allison and Layla you said that."
"NO! No, don't!"
"Haha, that's what I thought." I laughed. "Kid's gonna clear out an operation in the city then she's coming over here."
"HELL YEAH!"
My ears...
-McKnight-
Gracemeria Catacombs
1310hrs
"All right!" Donnie said as we pulled up to the spot in the tunnel. I was surprised that the tank fit in there so well. "The vault is on the other side of those crosshairs."
"Hobsbawm! Take aim!" I ordered.
"Screw this war!" Donnie said. "We're gonna live like kings!"
"And... Fire!"
The wall stood no chance against our 120mm armor piercing round.
Donnie cheered as we stepped out to take a look at the treasure.
I knew Donnie wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I never imagined he was this stupid. For all we know, this tunnel could be off by a damn mile.
I almost couldn't believe it. The Golden King stood right in front of us.
But it doesn't even matter. We've got a mountain of genuine treasure right here in front of us.
"So, now what?" Donnie asked.
""Now what," he says." I echoed. "If my calculations are correct, I'd say it's too big to put in our damn pockets."
-Toscha-
Approaching Gracemeria
1310hrs
Forgive me Ludmila... I failed to bring you happiness.
"Strigon 12, bearing 250, all instruments check out. Let us begin." I reported before pulling up to my place at the leader's wing.
"Gentlemen, I do not believe a lady on earth would be able to resist us now." The Leader said. "All pilots, listen carefully. Change your courses to 90 and leave the battle zone. Avoid engagement and fly as far as your fuel allows. I will handle the Garuda Team."
"What?!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You can't be serious!"
"Your deaths will achieve nothing. You must live to ensure the future of our nation. Besides, half the female population is waiting for your return."
"But wait!" I argued. "I will not allow this! We..."
"I'm shutting down communications." He said as he pulled away. "Strigon Team, break formation!"
-Rei-
Gracemeria Catacombs
1310hrs
After tending to Jessica and Laura, the Emmerian medic took a lot at Allen and Monica. I already told him they were gone, but he probably was required to double check in the off chance he might be able to save them. However, he pronounced them both dead and moved on to the Estovakians, who he soon also pronounced dead.
The Emmerian soldiers managed to get all of the doors up and posted men down here to guard us. With the battle going on outside, the medic decided it was best to set up a temporary, makeshift field hospital on the ground floor of the castle.
Jessica and Laura were hurt pretty badly, having both been shot, but the Emmerian medics were able to save them. They told me that my quick thinking is what saved them, when I gave Laura the cloth to put pressure on her wound and when I tied up Jessica's leg above her wound to cut down on the bleeding.
After hearing that they would make it, I sat down and leaned against the wall.
That really happened...
I wasn't upset, which surprised me, but that didn't mean I wasn't worried. Allen and Monica died. Maria lost her father, and Jessica lost her mother. I didn't know Jessica's father, but Mom told me that he is Aunt Yami's wingman.
If only I was a little faster. Everyone would be okay.
My thoughts slipped back to the other children. They didn't see what happened, but they heard the gunshots. I stood up and headed back down into the catacombs where they were being guarded. All of the dead bodies had been removed from our hideout, and the blood cleaned up, so the children were allowed to roam freely down there so long as they didn't go up into the castle.
If any of them had been affected by the encounter, they did well in hiding it. Maria was cheerful.
They probably didn't tell her.
One of the Emmerian soldiers whispered into my ears. "Other than you and the blonde girl, Matilda was her name?"
"Yes." I whispered back.
"Nobody else knows who died. They only know that somebody was hurt."
"It's probably best to let them be for now, then. The injured girl lost her father, and one of the others just lost her mother. I know who their surviving parents are. I'll talk to them so they can mourn together."
The soldier gave me a warm smile. "You are wise well beyond your years, Miss Rei. You may only be eleven years old, but you carry yourself as if you twice that age."
"My parents have taught me well. I really owe my..."
Just then, we heard a loud bang coming from the room where we stored the castle's treasures. The soldier I was talking to and the other nearby soldier bolted to the room. I followed them and found that one wall had been blown out.
A tank?
The soldiers relaxed their guard after finding out who was driving the tank. They were also Emmerian soldiers.
-Talisman-
Gracemeria
1312hrs
What is this eerie feeling?
I asked myself that several times while we flew around waiting for confirmation. Since the mission had so many individual operations, Ghost Eye had his hands full making sure everyone was cleared.
As he did that, everyone from the outer operations started showing up. Mom and Pixy showed up first, then Kye, Uncle Jack, and their team, then York and Chizuru. Aunt Allison and Mare were the last to show up, but their operation was the farthest.
All of my guys were flying circles around the bay - Windhover, Avalanche, Sky Kid, Stingray and Snake Pit. Hammerhead was still on his way, having been part of one of the outer operations. Marcus, Liliana, and Shadow were following me.
"Enemy forces throughout Gracemeria have been eliminated." Ghost Eye reported. "Mission accomplished! We've got our capital back!"
Marcus couldn't hold himself back. "We finally did it! We've got our city back."
Several others started cheering, too, but a loud, grainy voice came over the radio. "Garuda, are you getting this? It's not over yet."
"Who is this?!" Marcus asked demandingly.
"The real war has just begun."
What?
"Who the hell is this? What are you talking about?!"
"Corrupt governments and marred lands are no longer worth fighting to protect." The Unknown man said. "There's only one thing worth protecting now."
"Unknown aircraft approaching fast!" Ghost Eye reported quickly. "This may be an attack!"
"And that's the future."
"It's a fighter! A fast one! Missiles approaching at high speed! Multiple missiles approaching! Evade!"
"It's time to let my sins take reign. This is the inevitable fate Ulysses heralded in."
"Everyone clear out." Kye ordered immediately. "If you are not Garuda One, get out of this airspace!"
"Kye, what is going on?"
"It seems your rival has finally appeared." She explained as we dodged the incoming barrage of missiles. "I recognize his voice. His name is Ilya Pasternak."
"Ah, Miss Kye. We meet again." Pasternak said. "I apologize, but I can't show you the same hospitality up here."
"I'm not the one you have to worry about anyway. It's good that you have an advanced plane. You'll need it."
"This is Supreme Commander Venturi of Paragon, and also Lieutenant General Venturi of Emmeria." Liliana spoke up. "This is an order of retreat for all Paragon and Emmerian units. Evacuate this airspace immediately. The only one allowed to remain is Chief Commandant Yami Akari."
Without another word, everyone broke off immediately.
Thank you. If it's only me, I can fight much more freely.
"Pasternak, this is Garuda One. I understand that your purpose for coming to Emmeria is to fight me, right?"
"That's right, Garuda One."
I could shake my anxious feeling. This guy was different. Just from his moves so far, I could tell he was a cut above the rest. It reminded me of the guy I fought in the invasion back in August, Voychek. But this guy is better.
"How about a proper introduction?" I asked. "I'm Captain Yami Akari of Emmeria and Paragon. I am Garuda Leader."
"I am Lieutenant Commander Ilya Pasternak of Estovakia and Void. I am Strigon Leader."
"His plane is the experimental version of the Prototype XFA-44." Kye said over a private channel that only Marcus, Liliana, Shadow, her, and myself could hear. "He is flying the CFA-44. His weapons capabilities include twenty ADMM Pods, the same that the X-03 and XF-04 currently carry."
"I thought it was called the ADM." Marcus chimed in.
"No. The ADM is the predecessor." I said. "When we started flying the X-03, we upgraded to the newer ADMM. It's more advanced, and although the X-03 is still limited to the same number of pods and missiles that the older ADM carried, the ADMM is more agile and destructive."
"Anyway, the CFA-44 Nosferatu was designed by Paragon to be an all-purpose powerhouse fighter with the highest output firepower of any fighter jet, but doing this required the plane to be heavier and thus have lower stability. This disqualified it from the Zero Class, but outside of the Zero Class, it is the most advanced plane out there."
"Yeah. I have my work cut out."
"Don't forget that you are piloting the Pegasus."
"Pegasus?"
"XF-04 Pegasus." Kye clarified. "Now go! You have a duel to fight!"
"Right."
-Pasternak-
Gracemeria
1312hrs
Miss Kye managed to clear out the area with a little help from the Paragon Supreme Commander. I don't need to fight all of the others anyway. I just need to buy time for Strigon Team to retreat, and I have to fight Miss Yami.
After everyone was clear, we started. I opened up with two simultaneous ADMM launches. None of them hit, but they allowed me to get closer to my target. I managed to get behind her, but I couldn't get a lock on so I fired my guns.
She pulled an incredible maneuver before I could hit her. She pulled up hard and flipped her aircraft around. That placed her behind me.
That won't work.
As soon as she fired a missile at close range, I activated my AECMP, Advanced Electronic Counter Measure Pod. The original design included the AECM, which was Advanced Electronic Counter Measure, but I upgraded it. It's capable of deflecting even gunfire using a shockwave pulse, though I haven't been able to test its effectiveness yet.
"Pasternak, we don't need to fight anymore. The war is over!" Miss Yami said over the radio.
"The war no longer matters." I said adamantly. The fifty UAVs that I brought along with me finally caught up. I switched on my control system and set them all to attack her.
"Talisman!" Her wingman shouted. "I'm coming!"
"No." She stopped him. "All of you stay out of this. I can handle it."
She's confident, just like her sister. I like that.
Several of the UAVs fell off the radar at once, which I realized immediately was her efforts using the ADMM.
The XF-04 is as new and advanced as the CFA-44. The XF-04 is a Paragon Zero Class Fighter that is designed to have no weaknesses, but my CFA-44 is designed to be superior in certain areas, namely agility and power.
Miss Yami started gunning down my UAVs, and I took that opportunity to fire at her with a missile. I didn't expect to hit her, instead distract her more so that I could close in for gunfire, but she completely ignored the missile! As soon as it closed in on her, it just fell out of the sky.
Was it a dud?
I fired another, but it had the same result.
The only thing that could deactivate a missile is...
I switched my heads up display to show electricity, and I saw a spherical shield around her.
A force field, invisible to the human eye. It must be frying the electronics within the missiles!
"I see we both have advanced defenses." I said. "Yours is very impressive."
"Your defense is nothing to laugh at either." She replied. "I can tell it's different than what Paragon designed."
"I upgraded it myself."
I fired another dual ADMM barrage at Miss Yami.
She dodged them earlier instead of letting them hit her force field. They have advanced electronic protection, so maybe they can get through.
She did dodge them, and that allowed me to close in and try to gun her down again. She pulled another High-G maneuver on me, but this time she flipped over and performed it upside-down.
I tried to follow her with my superior agility and my own High-G maneuvers, but she pulled multiple High-G maneuvers back to back and managed to get some gunfire in on me from the side. My AECMP was only effective from behind.
I can only do one High-G maneuver at a time. My superior agility makes up for that, but she pulled several High-G maneuvers in quick succession. Even Atlantis Trait people have trouble with that. She's truly above and beyond anyone else I've fought.
I only took a few hits from her gunfire, but she hit my ADMM system and UAV control system. I could no longer fire my ADMMs, and could no longer control my UAVs. They simply fell out of the sky and into the water below.
"I will not lose. For their sake, I will win."
-Talisman-
Gracemeria
1315hrs
"I will not lose. For their sake, I will win."
Their sake? He said the war no longer matters, so who is he fighting for? His team? No, they are gone. I already looked for them on radar. SU-33s are not stealth, so I would have seen them. He has no reason to stay here and fight unless he's being forced to.'
Although he lost his ADMM and UAVs, he became more aggressive. It was taking everything I had to fight him.
Maybe I can stop this fight without fighting.
I quickly sent a message to Kye saying, "Jam communications. I need to talk to Pasternak openly, and privately."
She replied. "On it."
Without his ADMM and UAVs, we were forced into an old fashioned dogfight. His plane was more agile, somehow, but I only ever saw him pull a single High-G maneuver at a time. I couldn't exactly pulled multiple High-Gs in a row very much. Doing that was extremely taxing, and if I overdid it, I would either get dizzy or knock myself unconscious.
We went in circles after each other, each of us pulling our best maneuvers trying to get a leg up on the other, but neither of us could get behind the other.
Kye sent another message. "Done. All communications outside of the bay area are jammed. Nobody will hear anything you say, aside the rest of us that are in XF-04s. Whatever you have to say to him will stay between you, him, and the four of us."
"Pasternak. I know this will sound off coming from me, but I want to talk."
"This is the time for action, not words."
"What are you fighting for?" I asked directly. "My people have jammed communications. Nobody can hear anything we say, except us. Tell me what you are fighting for!"
"The future."
"You already said that. You said the war no longer matters, so you can't be fighting for your country at this point. And your team has already escaped, so they can't be the reason either. What future are you fighting for?"
"That is my business."
"We can resolve this without death. If this future is that important, then you need to tell me what it is! Even if you beat me, you will not get out of this. My sister will not let you go."
I could hear his sigh over the radio. "How confident are you about this jamming?"
"I'm confident enough that even my people can't hear us. Not even my AWACS."
"Okay, but don't stop fighting. They are watching via satellite."
"Just make it look real, and we'll be fine?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. Explain away."
"The future belongs to my family." He started. "Your sister knows a little bit about this."
"This is void's doing then? They have something over you."
"You probably already know well about Void's recruiting methods."
"Yeah. They don't give you a choice, and if they can, they force you to join even if you can get away."
"My father is a prisoner of Void. I don't want to go into detail now, but they are using him to force me to continue doing their bidding."
"That doesn't surprise me. I've meet Supreme Commander Alexandra Romanov and President James Marshall in person. They are nice enough, but ruthless when it comes to Void."
"The only thing keeping my father alive are the facts that I work for Void and that my mother works for Void."
"So even if you were out of the picture, your father would still be kept prisoner to keep your mother in check?"
"Yes." Pasternak said. "There's nothing I can do."
"There is something I can do." I told him. "I can shoot you down, and you will be rescued by my people, unofficially. You will be pronounced dead and your body said to be sunk to the bottom of the sea with your plane, but we'll have to take this battle out to sea where it's deeper."
"I don't know, Miss Yami. I..."
"You are too good of a pilot to be controlled like this. It grinds at me with just the thought."
"Thank you, but..."
"Our communications won't stay jammed once we leave the bay, so follow me as best you can and just wait for a chopper to pick you up." I said as I hit my afterburners and broke off from the battle, heading straight south over the bridge.
He followed me.
Once we cleared all of the ships, I pulled a quick High-G turn and headed back towards him. I had to make it look real. He evaded and started chasing after me again, but I pulled multiple High-G maneuvers in a row again and landed some gunfire on his engine.
"The Strigon Team has fled the combat airspace." He said. "We've won..."
He managed to bail out just before it exploded.
"Enemy fighter confirmed destroyed!" Ghost Eye reported. "It's all over! The war is over!"
"Talisman!" Marcus cheered.
"All threats have been eliminated." Ghost Eye continued. "Our people are rising up!"
The radio almost burst with cheers.
"They've opened up the gate to our city!" An Emmerian soldier shouted. "We've got the Garuda Team to thank for this!"
"If I had a bottle of champagne right now, I'd crack it open and celebrate with you guys, Garuda Team."
I quickly sent another message to Kye. "Send a chopper to get him quick! We have to rescue him before the Void satellite watching us is repositioned. My plan is that he died and sunk with his ship, but we are rescuing him. It's sort of like what happened to your team in 2010."
"Roger that."
On my way back to the bay, I passed by Yellow Jacket. They waved at me, signifying they knew what to do.
I breathed a sigh of relief and continued on toward the city.
-Shamrock-
Gracemeria
1318hrs
"We took her back!"
"Woohoo! We did it!
"Emmeria! It's finally ours again!"
"Home sweet home!"
There were so many people cheering over the radio. I knew exactly how they felt. I wanted to cut loose and just shout into the sky.
I returned to my place at Talisman's wing as she slowly cruised over the bay after returning from her battle at sea. Time after time, she has proven herself to be a true ace. This time, however, she went a step beyond. Only a handful of us knew what she did, but that was enough.
I couldn't help but smile. "Well, Talisman. It's been some journey."
"Yeah. It has." She said.
"That's our finish line right down there, boys - my house. I think you'll like my wife's quiche... and don't forget a bouquet for my daughter."
"Flowers sound nice."
-Post Mission-
"Gracemeria is finally free.
"The occupying Estovakian forces have been wiped out.
"Great execution of this mission has handed us a clear, overall victory in the war. We're still taking light resistance in a few limited areas, but it's only a matter of time before we have complete control of the capital.
"Our officials should start drawing up a cease-fire agreement, as they've made preparations for a meeting with the Estovakian leaders.
"Good job.
"Garuda Team is a part of history now. Your actions will be remembered for generations to come.
Edit 26-June-2016: Trimmed Author's Notes, story marked complete.
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