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Legendary Aces
Chapter 26: The White Bird (Part 2)
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
-Briefing-
Kestrel Briefing Room
1006hrs. 19 December 2010
The intelligence vessel Andromeda has picked up another encrypted transmission in Belkan. They have changed the code, so it took a little longer to decipher the message.
The content is as follows: "N attack by A-Sat on Okchabursk to commence at 1400 hours."
Apparently, efforts to secretly repair the sabotaged Arkbird are now complete. We confirmed this by observing its orbit from the ground. We believe that a Belkan nuke has already been loaded onto the Arkbird.
In order for the Arkbird to attack the city of Okchabursk in Yuktobania at 1400 hours, it must make one major correction to its orbital trajectory. To do this, it must first drop into the upper atmosphere and use air friction to lower its speed. We have already calculated the time and location in which this maneuver will occur.
Your mission is to destroy the Arkbird. You will only have one chance to stop it. Destroy it before it withdraws from the battle zone.
-Nagase-
Kestrel Bridge
1015hrs. 19 December 2010
After the briefing, I was ordered to go up to the bridge. I didn't know why, just that I was told to be there, though Blaze did come with me.
"Any clue what this is about?" I asked Blaze as the two of us neared the Bridge.
"Yep. You'll see," she said.
"Come on, tell me," I asked again, trying to feign an innocent face to her, but she wasn't having it.
"Nope."
When we entered the Bridge, Captain Andersen, General Bartlett, and President Harling were all there.
"Welcome, Captain Nagase," Captain Andersen said. "I'm glad you could come."
"Of course, sir, but what is this about?" I asked. I was confused as to why these three wanted to see me. "Is anything wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," Harling said. "I just wanted to speak with you before your mission. It's about the Arkbird."
"Yes, we are to destroy it," I said.
"That's why you are here, Nagase," Blaze said. "You have a choice."
"After speaking with Captain Akari, I learned of your love for the Arkbird," Harling said. "I couldn't possibly send someone that cares so much for the white bird to destroy it. Ultimately, it's your choice to participate in this mission. If you don't want to, you don't have to."
I didn't know what to say. The President was in front of me giving me a choice whether or not to take part in destroying the Arkbird. There was no choice to be made, though. "Thank you for your understanding, sir, but I cannot possibly leave a mission to choice. I have to go."
"Well said."
"But..."
"Hmm?"
"After this war is over..."
"We will need a new Arkbird, won't we?" Harling said, giving me only a smile as an answer.
I saluted him. "I must go now."
"Hold it," Blaze said, grabbing my sleeve before I could leave. "I also have something to say. It depended on whether or not you came. This wasn't mentioned in the briefing, but everyone knows already, except you."
"What is it?"
"We're going to use a ballistic missile to destroy the Arkbird," she said. "I..."
"Let me do it," I said immediately. If anyone was going to destroy the Arkbird, it would be me.
Blaze gave me a smile and nodded.
-Mission Start-
-Blaze-
Ceres Ocean 21'18'36"N 158'16'33"E
1309hrs. 19 December 2010
*She loves the Arkbird so much that she's willing to be the one to send it to its watery grave,* I said to myself as my team and I approached the mission area. The Arkbird was still pretty high, but soon we would be able to reach it.
"We were so close..." Grimm said. "I feel like the Belkans are always one step ahead. Don't you, Captain?"
"Doesn't matter if they are or not," I said. "I haven't given up yet, nor am I about to."
"I know, Captain. I haven't given up, either."
I looked up at the Arkbird as we started climbing to a higher altitude to get ready for the interception. I had to side with Nagase on this. It really was a grand sight to see. If only it wasn't in the hands of the enemy.
"I can see it now, Nagase," Grimm said.
"Yeah..." she said quietly.
"It'll be tough reaching that altitude..." Grimm said. "Hey, is everything okay?"
"What do you mean? Wait, the Arkbird...! It just jettisoned something."
"What was that?" Chopper asked.
"It's an escape capsule," Snow said.
"Adler to Schenze. He got away."
"The Osean astronaut?"
"Yeah. It's alright, we don't need him anymore..." Adler said. "Oh, dammit! He must've done something to the control system before he got away."
The Arkbird slowly started descending.
"Damn, we're slowing down. We're gonna dive deep into the atmosphere."
"Captain, this is Archer. Doesn't the Arkbird's approach path seem too deep?"
"Yeah, something's wrong."
"Its altitude is too low for an orbit change."
"On the radio, that Adler guy said the Osean astronaut did something to the controls," I said. "This is good. We'll be able to match its altitude much easier now."
"Let's get goin' then," Chopper said. "We still have to go really high up."
"That white bird was a symbol of hope for Captain Nagase," Grimm said.
"And now she must try to shoot it down," Snow added.
"Come on, guys," I said. "That's not really what she needs to hear right now."
"That's alright, Blaze," Nagase said.
The mission was going to be a short one, but I had to make sure Nagase was still up for the task. "Hey... Nagase?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked.
She didn't answer at first. I could tell she was hesitant, but I wasn't surprised. I would be too if I were in her shoes. "Yeah."
When we finally got in range of the Arkbird just shy of twenty one thousand feet. I expected us to have to fly upwards of sixty to seventy thousand, but the Osean astronaut made things easier for us.
"Blaze to Pops, do you read?"
"Yes, Blaze, loud and clear."
"The Osean astronaut aboard the Arkbird used an escape capsule to get away. He's probably floating in the sea."
"Do you know his location?" Pops asked.
"He got out about a minute ago, so he should be a few miles back."
"Alright, I'll send the Sea Goblin. Stick around after you destroy the Arkbird to escort them."
"Will do," I said. "We're approaching the Arkbird now."
"Roger."
"I'm in attack position, awaiting orders," Nagase reported.
"Adler to Schenze, we're under attack!"
"What? The Osean Army's supposed to be wrapped around our finger. Who the hell...?"
"Black bodies, that emblem... It's them! The *Ghosts of Razgriz!* The survivors from the Ofnir Squadron told me about 'em!"
"Launch the Vogels. Get rid of them!"
"Do it, Nagase," I said as I peeled away and slowed down. "Everyone else fall back."
"Launching ballistic missile," Nagase said.
-Nagase-
I almost couldn't bear to watch. The missile I launched rocketed toward the Arkbird. I made sure to fire the missile at an even altitude with the Arkbird so its laser cannons couldn't hit it. They couldn't react to it in time, anyway.
The missile hit the Arkbird from behind and exploded, completely encasing the white bird in its destructive wake. The explosion was larger than our usual ballistic missiles... they had me take a modified missile for extra insurance, and it paid off.
The white bird I loved so much was torn to pieces and fell to the sea below.
A few unmanned drones managed to launch from the Arkbird, but they were caught in the explosion and destroyed as well.
-Blaze-
"Mission complete," I said. "We just have to wait for Sea Goblin to get here to rescue the astronaut and escort them back. Hey, Nagase?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about the Arkbird."
"I was in love with it... I used to stare at the blueprints all the time. That's why I had to do it."
"I see."
"When we're at peace again, the President will build another one for us. We have to make sure to end this so the new one can fly safe from enemy hands."
"We definitely will," I said.
-Post Mission-
We succeeded in halting the Arkbird's nuclear attack on the city of Okchabursk in Yuktobania. The Arkbird was destroyed and crashed into the Ceres Ocean before it was able to carry out its mission.
Miraculously, there were no ships near the area of the crash site. According to our investigation team, there is currently no evidence of radiation fallout in the area.
The Osean astronaut has been rescued and is being transported to the Kirwin Island Base by Sea Goblin.
-Chopper-
General Bartlett's Base
1930hrs. 19 December 2010
"Hey, do you think she'll be all right?" Kid asked. We were sitting on the couch in her room together.
"Yeah. Nagase is pretty tough. She loved the Arkbird a lot, so much that she felt she had to destroy it to protect it from the enemy. She won't lose any sleep over it knowing that a new one can be built."
I looked over at Kid. Her silver eyes always took me away whenever I looked into them. Kid was really something else. She was so strong, yet she wouldn't hurt a fly if she didn't have to. I couldn't imagine having anyone else there with me.
"Hey, Kid?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you say once this is all over with, we go somewhere? Just us and the team."
She smiled and closed her eyes. "We'll see."
-?-
Osea, a beach near Bana City
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"All that planning... the preparation..." I mumbled through my gritted teeth. I look up at my servant. "Go, girl. I am in no mood for a servant today."
"Yes, My Lord."
I looked back at the agent that had just reported. "Details. Now."
"The man aboard, Hœnir Maya, sabotaged the Arkbird's controls before using an escape pod. That forced the Arkbird to a low enough altitude that the Razgriz were able to launch an attack. They destroyed it with a ballistic missile."
"A *ballistic* missile?"
"Yes, My Lord." I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. *They were overly prepared. Did they plan for the descent or were they prepared to match altitude?* "What of their planes? The Razgriz."
"They are flying a newly developed model. We are working on the details, but what we do know is that it uses the same body as the X-02 Wyvern and fires an upgraded version of the multi-missile device that Cipher and Mobius One used in the previous wars."
"I see. Let's assume they made more advancements. Let's high ball its maximum speed at Mach 5. That's still low by our standards, but it should be a fair benchmark for them given the lower world's technology. Let's also high ball its service ceiling at thirty."
"Thousand feet or thousand meters?"
"Meters. I don't like that other standard of measurement. It's ridiculous. Twelve inches to a foot, three feet to a yard, five thousand *and some change* to a mile."
"Indeed, My Lord."
"Anyway, I need a solution. These Razgriz have already escaped Grabacr and bested Ofnir..." I held up a finger to the agent, telling him to remain silent while I considered the options. After a few minutes, I had a plan. "Their leader is Kye Akari. Are you familiar?"
"Yes, My Lord."
"Daughter of the Demon Lord, and niece of the Grim Reaper. I need her dead."
"But, My Lord, your future plans."
"I considered that. Given how much this girl has grown, the risk of keeping her alive is too great. I don't want *another* pilot like *them*."
"Yes, My Lord."
"Coordinate with the Grey Men. We already know when and where the girl's children will be. Target the transport. Acquire them. The Razgriz girl can't take on her war missions *and* rescue her children. She'll have to pick one or the other. Likely, her superiors won't let her go after the children, so we'll target her during a mission."
"What about the children?"
"Most likely, Cipher and Mobius One will rescue them. Don't make it too easy, but not too hard for them. It's a distraction. I also don't want the Grey Men to provoke Paragon too much or let our neighbors above find us," I glanced at the sky, "so make sure the children aren't harmed. If those children are harmed, Paragon will become a bigger problem than we want them to be, and that might get *their* attention."
"Yes, My Lord."
"So long as the plan is followed, we should be rid of the Razgriz girl by the end of this. You have your orders."
"Yes, My Lord."
The agent left and I was left alone, save the bodyguards nearby.
*Maybe I shouldn't have sent the girl away.* I looked around briefly and saw her getting a smoothie. She noticed my glance and waved back to me. I sighed and waved her back over. She handed the smoothie to me and smiled. The smoothie was just how I liked it. "I don't know if I should be upset or glad you stayed. Go change. You may serve in swimwear again."
"Yes, My Lord."