(A/N) I have been mysteriously absent for several weeks. I took an unintended break. During that break I stepped back, did some thinking, brainstorming, and now I'm back to posting chapters! In more relevant-to-the-plot news, I'm adjusting a couple birthdates. Previously, Kye's birthdate was December 10, 1986. The year has been changed to 1983. A few others that haven't been introduced yet (in this iteration) have had some adjustments. Most of these birthdates were never even mentioned in LA1 or LA2, a couple were. No need to give a list, I think, since the only one adjusted and mentioned before this chapter was Kye's. There is one more I think should be mentioned, so I'll put an Author's Note in the chapter when that character is introduced. As for why I'm adjusting these birthdates... I'll leave that to you to speculate!

Legendary Aces

Chapter 25: Ghosts of Razgriz

As the demon sleeps, man turns on man
His own blood and madness soon cover the earth
From the depths of despair awaken the Razgriz
Its raven wings ablaze in majestic light

-Blaze-

Osean Paragon Base
0915hrs 13 December 2010

"Woooohoooo!" Yami yelled over the radio as she took to the air.

My mother, Layla Bartlett callsign Cipher, was already waiting in the air, and I was on the runway, ready for takeoff.

"Blaze, you are cleared for takeoff," Control Tower reported.

I hit the thrusters and rocketed down the runway, joining my mother and sister in the sky. "Hello, Sky!"

All three of us were flying F-15C Eagles for our mock battle. Nagase, Chopper, Snow, and Grimm were soon to join us, though they were flying X-03s.

"All right," Mom said. "The rules of engagement are as follows. Cipher, Blaze, and Talisman are the primary objectives. To score a victory against any of these three, you must trail them with a missile lock for ten seconds straight. Cipher, Blaze, and Talisman are only allowed to trail each other; they cannot score against Edge, Chopper, Swordsman, or Archer. Follow me so far?"

"Roger," everyone confirmed.

"Good. Edge, Chopper, Swordsman, and Archer can chase after anyone. Everyone is on their own, though you can team up if you want. If you team up, it's up to you to switch each other from enemy to friend for your targeting systems. If you team up with somebody, you split points at the end. Still following me?"

"Roger."

"Good. Victories against Cipher, Blaze, and Talisman are worth five points each. Victories against everyone else are worth one point each. This does not imply that the rest of you are worth less because of any skill differences. The three of us are worth more to motivate you to chase after us instead of each other, and to give Talisman more challenge so she can improve more. Occasionally, I will call out one pilot that will be temporarily worth extra points, and how much extra. This is so that pilot can get some practice in evading. That's all the rules. Everyone clear on that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"If you are ready, fly up to five thousand feet. As soon as everyone is above five thousand and spread out, Control Tower will transmit targeting data for this mock battle. Control Tower will be keeping track of points as well. This little game will last for twenty minutes."

I took my altitude to twenty thousand feet and waited for the targeting data. I hovered in the clouds for several minutes, waiting for everyone to get in place. As soon as the data was transmitted, I shot after my primary target, my mother.

The mock battle was like some sort of love triangle. I was chasing my mother, she was chasing Yami, and Yami was chasing me.

I knew mom was an experienced fighter pilot, but I didn't know how experienced. Before trying to get a lock on her, I never had trouble with any target. It was as if she anticipated my every move, and to top it off I couldn't straight up follow her with Yami chasing me.

I couldn't help but let out a small smile for my sister being able to compete with us. She was a lot better than I expected, and everyone very soon realized it. My team even took advantage of it and started chasing me as well, all four of them!

"Hey, no fair!" I had five people on my tail now. There was no way I could maneuver around them and try to maintain a lock on my target. I was able to avoid all five of them, but I had to execute some extreme evasive maneuvers. I couldn't counterattack at all.

"For the next sixty seconds, Edge is worth five points!" Mom called out. "Start timer... now!"

A timer popped up on my HUD, even though I wasn't allowed to go after Nagase. Chopper, Grimm, and Snow took advantage of it, though, and immediately cut off my tail and chased after her.

Deciding to leave them to that, I turned and set my sights on Yami. Mom noticed that and started coming after me. I thought it was bad enough trying to avoid Yami while chasing Mom, but trying to avoid Mom was worse! She was hot on my tail! With just her coming after me, I had trouble getting a lock on Yami for even a second.

I did notice that whenever Mom came at me strong, and I lost Yami for a few seconds, Mom would soon back off from having to evade against Yami. I had no idea if either of them had managed to score off each other yet, but I knew I had zero points so far.

The timer finally ended, which meant I had my hands full again. My team turned on me! I persevered, though. I didn't let any of them get a lock on me. I was so focused on evading that I couldn't pay attention to any of their banter.

Over the next several minutes, more timers popped up on my HUD, though I didn't hear who any of the targets were. I couldn't chase any of them anyway.

Every time Yami or I would switch targets, Mom would switch accordingly. Whenever I chased Yami, Mom would come after me. We were basically flying in a big three-person circle.

I almost had a ten second lock on Yami a few times, but I had to pull away to avoid letting Mom maintain a lock on me. The closest I got to a ten-second lock on either of them was while a bonus point timer was up.

Eventually, my team split off from me and started chasing Yami and Mom, though Chopper stayed on my tail. Nagase turned toward Yami, and Snow and Grimm went after Mom.

With them chasing her as well, I almost had a lock on Mom. She got away at the eight-second mark. I managed a nine-second lock on Yami, but lost her to evasive maneuvering, too.

I could tell Yami was getting better as the mock battle continued. She was getting harder and harder to trail. By the end, I could only keep up to a five-second lock on Yami.

After the twenty-minute timer ended, everyone's targeting data was retransmitted to show everyone as friendly, preventing any cheaters for getting a lock on after the end.

"The mock battle is over," Mom said. "Standby until you are given permission to land. Meet up in the lounge afterward. I'll bring you the results."

"Man that was rough!" Chopper said. "Kid, your Mom really knows how to make a hard game."

"Her methods are very effective," Nagase added.

"She's always done that sort of thing," I said.

"Yeah, she made up random games all the time for the four of us," Yami added.

"Four?" Grimm asked. "Did your father play, too?"

"Oh, no," Yami said. "Our brother, Zen, played with us."

"You have a brother, too?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I haven't heard from him since father died. What about you, Yami?"

"Me neither. I have no clue what happened to him."

"He just up and disappeared?" Chopper asked.

"Pretty much," I said. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. "He was sixteen years old the last time I saw him. I wonder if he's okay..."

"You're talking about Zen, aren't you?" Mom asked as she walked in.

"Have you..."

"No," she said quickly. "I haven't heard anything of him since then either. The General has sent a missing person report on him to every military base and police department in Osea, Emmeria, and even the Independent States over on the Usean continent. He hasn't heard anything from anywhere."

"I see," I said. Not wanting to stay on the subject, I quickly moved for a change of topic. "Anyway, so what are the results?"

"We have a tie," Mom said. "Nagase, Chopper, Snow, and Grimm all tied at ten points each."

"What about us?" I asked.

"Zero. The three of us never scored. We also weren't scored against. Nobody could get a lock on you, me, or Yami."

"I'm impressed, twerp," I said laxly.

"Hey!" Yami said.

"You were better than I expected."

Mom stood between us and put her hands on our heads. "I'm impressed with both of you. You both almost had me once each."

"Thanks, Mom," Yami said

"But you still have a ways to go! If Jack and Allison were up there with us, they would have gotten locks on you, and you couldn't have done anything about it."

"The Captain never did any mock battles with us," I said. "I suppose we didn't get a chance to. I've only heard stories from him, mostly about the Belkan War."

"I think I've heard the same stories during my visits from Emmeria," Yami said. "Uncle Jack told me the stories during the holidays the couple years after that before he was transferred to Sand Island a few years ago. The stories were a little better when Aunt Allison told them to me herself."

"She had a more active role in that war than Jack," Mom said.

"Though, neither of them was as active in it as you, Demon Lord," I said.

"Heh."

"I had more time to hear stories from Aunt Allison after she started training me," Yami said. "Though she never spoke a word of her tour in Usea."

"Hmm..." I mumbled. "So Aunt Allison was your instructor, and Uncle Jack was mine until he disappeared..."

"Your grandfather pulled a few strings," Mom said. "We wanted both of you to have instructors capable of pushing you. I would have taken you both if not for the accident that left me pretending to be dead."

Yami and I shared gloom glances.

"I never thought I'd get put on the same base as him once I finished college and officer training," I said. "It makes sense now that I know it wasn't a coincidence. I sure miss the Captain."

"I do, too," Mom said. "Well, I've got some stuff to do. Routine maintenance and what not. By the way, how'd you like flying an F-15?"

"It was different. I liked it though," I said. "If we weren't flying X-03s in battle, I'd probably ask to fly F-15s. F-22s may be superior planes, but I like how the F-15 flies more."

"Just don't let Allison hear you badmouth the F-22. It's her favorite," Mom said as she headed for the door. I flew an F-15 in the Belkan War from start to finish, myself. Anyway, I'll see you at lunch. Oh, and next time we have a mock battle, I'm not going to hold back. Improve! Cheers."

"She held back?" Yami asked. "She was hard enough to trail."

"I wouldn't doubt it," I said. "I imagine if she was serious, she would have gotten us both in under a minute. The only thing we can do is get better."

-Briefing-

0847hrs. 16 December 2010

"We've intercepted another mysterious radio transmission," Pops said, starting the briefing. "This time it specifies a location within Yuktobania. It's probably... well, this is just a hunch on my part, but I bet that's where the nuclear weapon sent into Yuktobania is located. And there's another set of numbers. This time it's a radio frequency."

Your next mission is a reconnaissance flight above a canyon in the northern highlands of Yuktobania, the place described in the unidentified radio transmission. The highlands are completely covered by the Yuktobania air defense system, so the only safe place to fly is within the canyon itself.

Fly down the canyon and reach the target area. Once you're there, set your radio channel to the directed frequency and begin gathering information. You may be engaged by local Yuktobanian forces, and depending on the contents of the transmission, you may also find yourself engaging in other combat as well. You are permitted to fight the enemy as necessary, but you must try to keep your altitude below the rim of the canyon.

-Mission Start-
-Blaze-

Payavlenie Ravine 29'09'16"N 095'08'45"E
1503hrs. 16 December 2010

"Oh wow, it's true. They've come!" a voice said over the radio. "Fighter jets! I can tell because I'm intercepting enemy alert signals as well. Can you hear this?"

"Who are you?" Nagase asked. "Identify yourself."

"A great number of students and intellectuals are staging a resistance against the military government of Yuktobania. You can call me Alyosha... that's not my real name, of course. I'm so glad you actually came ...it's just like he said."

"He?"

"We have no time. Let me explain the situation."

-In-Flight Briefing-

We've received contact from an apparent resistance group that seized and captured one of Yuktobania's nuclear weapons. Intelligence believes that it's one of the nukes taken from the mine before we sealed it off on the 12th.

Furthermore, our radar has detected numerous enemy fighters entering the canyon and flying towards the local airspace. The force includes Yuktobanian fighters and armed helicopters. Their mission is most likely to destroy the resistance's hideout. The enemy fighters are spread out throughout the canyon, so we believe that the Yuktobanians still don't have the exact location of the hideout.

Destroy the enemy forces before they can find and wipe out the resistance. As mentioned previously, the local airspace is blanketed by Yuktobania's air defense system. Watch your altitude, and whatever you do, don't fly above the rim of the canyon.

-Mission Resume-
-Blaze-

"A physics graduate student from Yuktobania Central University is currently dismantling the nuclear bomb so that it can never be detonated again," Alyosha explained.

Detonated again? I wasn't aware that it was detonated in the first place or that one bomb could be detonated twice. Heh, he worded it funny, but he means well. I bet Chopper made the same snide remark in his head.

"We need you to hold off the Yuktobanian forces from entering the ravine until he finishes the task."

"We're on it," I said. "The canyon splits in two directions up ahead. Guys take the south route. Nagase is with me in the north route."

"Roger."

We split up as I directed. As soon as we rounded the corner, we found a couple helicopters. It was nothing a little gunfire couldn't handle. The targets just hovered in place. They probably didn't see us coming.

"This is gonna be a real test of our flying ability. Let's do our best," Snow said.

"It feels like the cliff is closing in on us. Flying here is nearly impossible. Don't you think so?" Grimm asked.

"Grimm, don't underestimate yourself," Nagase said.

"Yeah, this is a piece of cake," Chopper added. "There's plenty of room to fly through this canyon."

"Well, all right," Grimm said.

Nagase and I rounded the nest corner and started heading west along the northern most part of the canyon. A gunboat was below us in the canyon's river.

"Nagase."

"Already fired a missile," she said.

I watched as her missile hit the gunboat. The explosion was pretty big! She must have hit the ammo storage.

"So, Blaze, how long has your sister been flying?" Nagase asked. "She's really good."

"I think she started pilot training in the summer right after she finished officer training," I said. "Allison is her instructor, though, so the time she's trained is worth more."

"More than the Captain's?"

"Hard to say. Their methods are different, so it's hard to compare. Incoming."

"It's like there's nothing but helicopters and gunboats," Snow said.

"If all they have are helicopters then we can take them on," Grimm said.

"Don't slack off just because of that," Chopper said. "I bet there are a few fighters around here somewhere, too."

"Chopper's right, Grimm," Nagase said.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." I said. "They're just giving you a hard time. But do stay alert. And we could take them on regardless."

"Roger, Captain."

"We're now dismantling the nuclear bomb," Alyosha said. "This is a pretty tiny bomb. Maybe it's a tactical nuke. Hard to believe something like this can wipe out an entire city..."

Nagase and I made our way through the canyon on the north and turned south. We destroyed a handful of helicopters and a few gunboats on our way through.

"I just hear another jet engine..." Alyosha said. "Are you managing to keep the enemy outside at bay?"

"Yes," I said. "We have everything under control."

"That's great... we better do our best, too."

We rounded another corner and found another gunboat and helicopter waiting for us. I had to bank hard to avoid a missile from the helicopter while Nagase took out both.

"Good shot, Nagase," I said.

"I'm not letting anyone shoot down my lead plane."

"Still going on about that?" I asked. "You know, I did get shot down in November City."

"Never again!"

"That's what you said when I started leading Wardog."

"I mean it."

"Okay, okay." I was trying to tease her, but she was in serious mode. "Guys, how's your end coming?"

"We've cleared the southern corridor and are moving on to the next. Just a couple more lines to go until we meet up," Snow reported.

"Good stuff."

"Wha... it's powering up the trigger circuit!" one of the resistance called out.

"What?!" Grimm said. "You mean it's gonna..."

"Oh, no, never mind, it's fine. We shut it off," Alyosha said, bringing relief to the rest of us.

"Oh... Okay... Whew."

"HQ to Special Forces," a Yuke said. "Report your status."

"This is Special Forces. There's no one here."

"It's pitch black, give me a night scope."

"Let's start with that cave. Go in on my signal."

"I feel like we're being lured into a trap."

"Hey, Chopper, who do these guys remind you of?" I asked.

"Haha!" Chopper laughed. He caught my joke right away. "Sweet as a rose."

"I don't see anyone here. Have they already escaped?" a Yuke asked.

"Hurry up and find them. We have no idea what they're up to."

"What out! My hand's slipping! It's gonna drop!" A resistance member panicked.

"Hey, what's going on?" Snow asked. "Answer me!"

"Uh... we're okay. We caught it just in time. Whew..."

"Look, stop scaring us like that, okay?" Snow said.

"Take it easy in there," I said. "I don't relish in the idea of becoming burnt toast if that thing goes off."

Nagase and I finally met up with the guys in the middle of the canyon.

"You guys all clear?" I asked.

"Nothin' left of 'em," Chopper said.

"Head's up, incoming enemy fighters," Nagase said. "They're different."

"This is Ofnir 2. You sure it's them?"

"This is Ofnir 1. I said that's what I heard. The ghosts of the Demons of Razgriz."

"You're kidding me. They all sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Didn't the guys from Grabacr tell you that?"

"We'll find out if they're ghosts or not... when we take them on in combat," Ofnir 1 said.

"Enemy aircraft," Grimm said. "The guys from the surveillance photo. Ofnir fighters... So they're the Yuke aggressors?!"

"That's right, Grimm," I said.

"Dammit, of all the place... I feel like they're hunting us like animals.

"Be careful. Remember what Pops said... these guys are Belkan aces," Nagase said.

"That's not all," Mom said over the radio. "I fought Ofnir in Operation Battle Axe. They are good, Kye. Go all out on them."

"Operation Battle Axe?" Chopper said. "You mean the battle at the Round Table?"

"Yes," Mom said.

"That was the biggest air battle in history, second only to Operation Countdown in the Usean Continental War."

"That's right," Mom said. "Ofnir was there, Grabacr was there... Allison, Jack, and even Pops were there..."

"The Captain?" Chopper asked.

"That's right."

"I don't mean to interrupt anything, but here they come," I said.

"Take 'em down, Kye," Mom said.

"Will do," I said.

"Nagase, Chopper, you two team up. Grimm, you're still with Snow."

"What about you, Captain?" Snow asked.

"I'm on my own," I said.

"You can't be serious!" Nagase said.

"Trust me. I can handle this," I said.

"Ofnir Squadron, flying through this ravine is extremely dangerous," a Yuke reported.

"Ofnir 1 to all planes. No obstacles to our flight observed."

"Hey... didn't you hear me? Turn back!"

I started chasing after Ofnir 1 and 2. They were maneuvering well. I was having trouble getting a lock on them, but they started taking evasive action as I got close.

"So there really is someone out there than can give Ofnir a hard time, eh?"

"They aren't Osean military planes. The emblem's different."

"Well whoever they are, they aren't your typical pilots, that's for sure."

I hit my afterburners and rocketed through the canyon. I crept up on Ofnir 3 and 4 so fast that they didn't even see me coming. I sent a missile after one and gunned down the other. "Two down."

"Look, the enemy's running down Ofnir!"

"There's only one squadron I know that could shoot down Ofnir..."

"I was just thinking the same thing... Razgriz..."

"You're the Demons of Razgriz?" Ofnir 1 asked.

"Yes," I said boldly.

"Then we're going to turn this place into a demon's graveyard."

"Not today," I said as I approached them from behind.

"What the..." Ofnir 2 was cut off by my missile. He managed to eject, though.

I trailed Ofnir 1 for about ten seconds before finally sending him spiraling toward the ground.

"Sorry guys," Snow said. "Our captain's really good."

"All Ofnir fighters shot down," Nagase said. "Looks like the other enemy forces bugged out on us, too."

"Okay, we've dismantled the bomb," Alyosha said. "Did you fend off the enemy forces for us?"

"For now."

"We're going into the ocean to discard the bomb, piece by piece," Alyosha said. "Nobody will ever be able to use it as a weapon. If you can, please protect us until we make it into the ocean."

"We will, but what about..." Nagase said.

"Don't be surprised, but our ship... it's a submarine. There's nothing we can't get our hands on. I told you, we have a lot of allies."

"All right! But who told you that we'd definitely be coming for you?"

"I don't know his name... but he left a message for your Captain. I'll read it. It says, Hey, Kid, I hear you're a helluva Squad Captain now... Do you get it?"

I felt my heart ease up and a tear roll down my face. He's alive.

"Yes! Perfectly!" Nagase said.

-Post Mission-

Mission accomplished. The information we obtained as well as the physical damage we caused dealt a significant blow to the enemy.

Judging by our analysis of the information, there appears to be a highly organized resistance force acting against the Yuktobanian military regime. It is likely the nuclear weapon which Yuktobania acquired was safely dismantled by the resistance.

-Blaze-

General Bartlett's Base, Crew Quarters
2100hrs. 16 December 2010

How far away are we from finding the Captain? I asked myself. I was alone in the showers. Standing under the showerhead seemed to be the best time to think. Maybe it was the sound of water running that gave me a clear mind, or perhaps the relaxation of warm water pouring over my body. I couldn't be sure, but it was soothing either way. Now that I know he's alive... I will find him.