CHAPTER 24
LETTER TO A HERO
// Radiance Island, Osean Federation //
The air base was closed. Blizzard was blowing violently from the north, forcing all air traffics bound to and from the island to be cancelled or diverted somewhere else. All planes were grounded, all personnel were sheltered and all activities were annulled. It was late January, and winter was at its peak. If winter could not cool down the blazing fire of war, then what else could?
The hangar was unusually quiet. No one was to be seen; only planes were parked inside the fortified building. The lively atmosphere it once contained was no longer there. The hangar had lost its most prominent occupants, and it would take a very long time for the void to be filled in.
And General Mercury understood the situation very well.
He had to swallow the bitter fact that Raider Squadron, Osea's leading fighter squadron, was shot down over the Round Table after their failed aerial strike over the Mammoth Fortress and presumed missing. He repeatedly had to convince himself the Raiders would survive, and yet latest intelligence showed the pilots were captured by Bohemian soldiers and hidden in undisclosed area. With the threat of the Mammoth Fortress still looming, his option was limited to either massive aerial bombardment or surgical nuclear strike, both of which would not worth the sacrifice the Raiders had done.
"General."
His private moment was stirred as his secretary approached him. He turned at her and said "what is it, Lindy?"
"You have a letter," she said and gave him the letter.
"Now who wanted to mail me at this time?" General Mercury opened the envelope, read the handwritten content and inexplicably laughed. His loud voice echoed across the entire structure and he kept on laughing for an indefinite amount of time.
"General, what's the matter?" his concerned secretary asked.
"Well, what do you know," he said and closed the homemade paper sheet. "This letter isn't for me. It's for him."
-x-x-x-x-x-
// Magnolia Valley //
There was no time for resting.
Intelligence suggested the Mammoth Fortress was preparing its second Longinus Storm assault onto the remaining Allied airbases. Air and ground crews were racing against time for a rapid counterattack onto the ground super-weapon amidst the raging snowstorm. Tension was high; if they couldn't get airborne in time, the Mammoth Fortress would wipe out all forms of aerial supremacy and the Bohemian regime would be unstoppable.
And it would all rest upon Lone Wolf's shoulders to accomplish the seemingly impossible mission.
"Sir! The plane's ready!"
He approached the Su-37. It was fully loaded with air-to-ground ordnances: bunker-buster bombs, fuel-air explosive bombs, Maverick missiles and rocket launchers. Tonight, he and his trustworthy "Ritter 1" would fly to the Mammoth Fortress with a handful of pilots willing to join him. He knew the calculated risk of flying such mission, and he was prepared to gamble the unforgiving bet.
"Lone Wolf." Henrietta's voice stopped him as he was about to climb up the ladder. He looked at her and saw a scarf held in her hand. "I made this for you. Please take it."
Lone Wolf took the scarf. It felt rightfully smooth in his hand, and it smelt of lavender as he sniffed it. "I didn't know you can make this kind of stuff," he said.
"I… I asked Yumemi to teach me," Henrietta replied and was blushing as Lone Wolf stared at her. "Was its design not good? It's my first embroidery experience, you see…"
"What are you talking of?" Lone Wolf tied the scarf around his neck, adjusting it to have it fit in perfection. "I like it. It's simple, not too complex, and it's beautiful, too."
Henrietta smiled. "Thank goodness. I'll try my best to make better scarves," she said and giggled in childish manners when Lone Wolf patted her head.
"Thanks." It was all he said before he returned to climb aboard the Su-37. "It's going to be one long snowy night."
"Lone Wolf?"
He stopped. He looked back at Henrietta. "What is it?"
The young woman merely smiled. "Please be careful."
He nodded. "I will."
-
-
Ritter 1 had taken off. It was now climbing to altitude where Lone Wolf met up with the hardy Magnolia Squadron pilots. "It's good to be flying with you again, sir," one of them greeted.
"Sorry to put all of you in this situation," Lone Wolf replied.
"We're more than honoured to join force with you, sir," another pilot spoke. "It is our duty to protect our freedom."
"How's it going down there, Ritter 1? Hope you can find your way through the blizzard."
"Snapper, don't tempt us to do something stupid," Lone Wolf reminded in joking tone. "You're lucky to be supporting us from up there. Don't underestimate us just because you have the stand-off advantage."
"I only want to cheer you up. You don't have to be that serious."
The 11-plane formation kept on flying for twenty minutes and immediately descended below radar as they were entering the battlefield. In spite of the thick snowfall (although the blizzard was slowly dissipating) the team could see in clear vision the Mammoth Fortress, the scourge of Allied air force.
"I can't see a thing. Are you sure this is why we're here?"
"Listen. The only difference between their victory and our demise is this mission," Snapper spoke. "If we can't bring that monster to its knees, God forbids, the path of this war will become out of reach."
"Gentlemen, this may not be our final mission," Lone Wolf spoke and slowed down the Su-37. "But let's give the regime our New Year presents. They'll certainly love it."
"Roger, Ritter 1."
"This is AWACS. All units, follow Ritter 1."
"For freedom!"
"For our glory!"
The formation split. The Harrier team flanked the fortress from the west, while the all-Gripen group attacked the fortress' eastern perimeter. The solo Su-37 headed straight towards the fortress' entrance passage, flying low to treetop level.
"Bombs away."
One of the two bunker-busters was released. The Su-37 bucked due to the decrease of weight and climbed vertically upward, leaving behind it a fireball when the precision-guided bomb pierced through the armoured door and detonated. Lone Wolf made a tight turn and brought the plane into a dive-bombing path -- directly over the fortress' hemispherical dome.
"Got you."
The Su-37 rocked when the central-mounted FAEB was ejected. A barrage of 64 HE-tipped rockets followed on, and the plane made a tight recovery climb to fee the explosion. "Confirmation of clearance of passage. Proceeding to main target."
An alarm was set off. It did not come from the Su-37 but from the Mammoth Fortress. Instantly the entire structure burst into life, searchlights and tracer bullets lighting the night sky. The formation was thrown into disarray as each plane outran everything thrown at their tail.
"Who the hell they think they are?" the fortress' crews' voice was heard over the radio.
"They must be crazy to carry out an air attack in the middle of a blizzard!"
"We can't get our fighters airborne! The runway's cratered!"
"Then do something about it!"
The air raid continued. Although no longer in their intended formation, the fighter pilots were doing they had been trained to, and relentlessly they attacked their targets as if there would be no second chance. Even Lone Wolf was fighting hard to cripple the monstrous structure despite the difficulties he and his team-mates faced.
He did not have time to loiter around.
"The fortress' main control panel is located under the hemispherical dome," he recalled the emergency briefing he had. "Attacking it from above, even after it's exposed, is impossible due to its defensive armour. The only way to destroy it is by attacking it from the side, and for this to succeed you have to fly into the fortress."
A tunnel flight was one thing, but how on earth would destroy a simple control cripple an entire structure that served as a super weapon? He did not have the time to answer the question because he had uninvited guests in the airspace.
"Dragoon 1 to all units. Commence operation. Attack at will."
Eight blood red Su-47s dived from their high-altitude cruise and began their systematic onslaught on the attackers. Confusion arose, and chaos later ensued as all pilots had to defend themselves from the Dragoon fliers.
"We can't fight the Dragoons!"
"Damn it! They come at this critical moment!"
"Protect Ritter 1! Don't let them get close to him!"
"Useless. Your flight skills are nothing to compare with ours. We will erase your existence from this sky."
The battle had gone awry. The attacking force now had to take care of the Dragoons while dodging the AA artilleries from below. With time running out it would not be long before the Mammoth Fortress became fully operational. And Lone Wolf had to choose between attacking the control panel or protecting his team-mates.
"Wolfe."
He was startled. Whose voice was it?
"Follow not your mind but your heart."
He was unsure whether the voice came from inside his earpiece or his subconscious but he did not hesitate. Immediately he set course and flew towards the open gate, speeding well ahead of the Dragoons who were pursuing him as soon as they noticed his breakaway.
"Ritter 1 has entered Mammoth Fortress tunnel!" AWACS announced.
He was now inside the massive fortress. The tunnel was claustrophobic, and its end seemed to be running away from him. There was no way he could -- or would -- turn back in such a tight space. The Dragoons persistently chased after him, firing missiles and guns at the solo Su-37 (and missing the plane by great degree). He could not shake them off, either, and he wa facing a situation impossible for normal fliers.
All in a sudden, his memory flew back two years in time to review a day. All in a sudden, it became clear to him he did not fear tunnel flight. It was clear to him, he had braved the tunnel.
And suddenly a familiar smile flashed in his memory.
And then there was a name.
"…Jena…?"
-x-x-
"That was the best tunnel flight we have seen yet, Wolfe," the general praised. "The air force is impressed by your skill."
He could only laugh. "It's nothing, sir. I had been taught to follow my guts before. Claustrophobia isn't my fear factor."
The general chuckled at the seemingly straightforward answer and patted his shoulder. "You've done much for today. You deserve to have a holiday break." So saying he turned to the sight of a young woman waiting outside the gate. "Miss Jena is here. I cannot afford to keep her waiting for her ace."
He laughed again. "Her ace, General?"
The two military officers exchanged salutes. Hastily Wolfe approached the gorgeous-looking woman who was talking with the MPs. She noticed his arrival and thanked the MPs for spending time with her before she turned to greet him.
"You could've waited for me to change clothes," he sighed.
"Unfortunately, you look more charming in the flight suit," the woman replied.
"And what makes you think you can go out in broad daylight? You could've waited for me at the planetarium, right?" he asked.
"I find watching at you in the sky like a free swallow more enjoying than sitting inside the room," she said.
He could only shake his head. "Persistent Jena is persistent. Oh well." He offered the woman his hand. "So, shall we?"
The woman smiled and took his hand. "Certainly."
-x-x-
The Su-37 rocked. Lone Wolf snapped out of his daydream and glanced at the damaged left wing. "Great. Now I know why daydreaming is bad for safety," he grumbled and slowed the plane.
"You can't escape, Ritter 1," the pursuing Dragoon taunted. "Even if we die in this tunnel, we're going to take you with us!" The three Su-47s pumped out their arsenals, firing at the Su-37 to bring it crashing into the tunnel.
"You can't reach the control panel with that amount of damage," another Dragoon said. "Give it up, Ritter 1! You can't withstand the might of Bohemia!"
Lone Wolf ignored the Dragoons. He almost reached his destination and, not taking care of the threats behind him, he prepared the payloads he had saved specifically for the attack. He knew he only got one shot; miss the target, and the mission would fail.
The Su-37 rocked again. This time the tail-plane was hit, and he began losing flight control. "Come on! Not here! Not now!" his thought screamed and held the flight stick steady.
"Die, Ritter 1!"
The pursuing Su-47s mysteriously exploded. Lone Wolf was shocked by the sudden turn of event, until he saw the outlines of F-15S/MTD flying out of the fireball.
"It's you again."
This time Red Baron said nothing. He simply flew out of the tunnel through the opening. Lone Wolf watched as the red plane disappeared from sight. He did no hesitate to let his focus slip when his plane was approaching the target.
"Arming all weapons."
He locked on the target.
"Firing all missiles!"
In one continuous salvo the six Maverick missiles rocketed away from its triple ejector racks and destroyed the protective barriers that shielded the frontal panel.
"Target's on sight. Releasing all bombs!"
The FAEBs were dropped. The abrupt decrease of weight caused the Su-37 to accelerate, and Lone Wolf applied full thrust to escape the explosion and the tunnel that started collapsing. A blinding flash of orange and red flames erupted out of the opening and light the night sky in full brightness.
"This is AWACS. Confirmation of control panel's destruction. The giant has fallen onto its knees!"
Everybody from the attacking side cheered in victory, and hollered even louder when cruise missiles launched from Snapper's position during the raid breached the dam and flooded the entire basin with billions of tonnes of water.
"Mammoth Fortress is destroyed? Impossible!"
"We shall get you next time, Ritter 1!"
The remaining Dragoons fled and disappeared in the dark sky.
"AWACS to Ritter 1. Are you alright?"
Lone Wolf examined the damage. "Nah. Just a little scratch here and there. I'm still in one piece, right?" He, then, looked at the flooded basin; the Mammoth Fortress, the pride of Bohemia, was slowly engulfed by the rushing flood and disappeared under the surface. "The road to victor is still long and windy."
"Did you just say anything, Ritter 1?"
He brought the Su-37 to its homebound route. "Ritter 1 to all units. Mission accomplished. Let's go home."
"Roger, Ritter 1. Lead the way."
"Say, Lone Wolf," Snapper radioed in. "I've been thinking of this since we came to Magnolia Valley, but a trip to the hot spring is good for our health, don't you think?"
Lone Wolf had to laugh. "Hot spring? I see if I can consider the suggestion."
"Consider? How about agreeing instead and bringing the ladies?"
"You're not hiding something, are you Azali?"
"Oh, snap! You got me."
The Su-37 was set to its automated flight course. Lone Wolf took the time to rest upon the comfort of the ejector seat and closed his eyes. The image of the woman knocked his memory box again, and he began wondering whether it was the sign of things to come.
"Jena… how she's doing, I wonder…"