A/N Hello everyone! I am sorry once again for the long hiatus, but with sports and being a History major and studying German at the same time, it's like I literally had no time. But now that summer is here and all this Coronavirus shit is going on, I ca get back to this, because I really wanted to finish this
Moving on, I will for-warn everyone, for some reason when I was writing Ace Combat 6 previously, I had trouble with it because I ended up getting writer's block at some point, and while I am hoping it doesn't happen again, if it does, please be patient with me like you all have with this story. I love every single one of you, and I feel so thankful that you'd spend your time reading my story!
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Chapter 36 - Invasion of Gracemeria
Through the Heart of a Nation
- Gracemeria, Capital of the Republic of Emmeria -
- 48°18'35"N 95°53'43"E -
- August 30th, 2015 0600 hrs -
The alarm clock only got two beeps off before a hand smacked the snooze button to shut it up, followed by a flick of the switch that turned off the alarm function entirely for the clock. With a groan, the bed sheets that the hand and arm originated from began to stir. Slowly Talisman's head emerged and he blinked, the rest of his body following as the covers fell away, exposing his topless upper body and the boxers he wore.
As usual, part of his body hated waking up early at this time, and the other part knew that it was a necessary part of his morning routine on base. It was another normal day, with another normal sortie, and then it'll end with another normal meeting with Windhover and others at their favorite bar.
"It's gonna be a long day regardless. I wonder if we'll actually meet anyone along the border today?" Talisman thought to himself while yawning. "They were getting pretty ancy for a while, but now they hardly ever show up."
Talisman got up out of bed and he shuffled to the bathroom in his quarters, a flick of the switch turning the lights on so he could properly see where the sink and his bathroom utensils were. Brush the teeth, swish the mouth water, comb the hair and shower, it was all a ritual by now. Full auto. Once that was all done, the shower being last, he was awake enough to function at eighty percent mental capacity, just enough to walk himself from his room after dressing to the Mess Hall to get some coffee.
"Morning, Talisman!" spoke Avalanche, the other early-riser Talisman met the most often. "How 'bout popping a squat with me? I got some news for you."
"Sure thing." he replied while grabbing a coffee mug. Once it was filled with coffee, and he deposited some sugar and poured some creamer inside, Talisman walked over to Avalanche and sat down with him.
"So, get this, I-"
Talisman paused him by raising his hand as he started stirring his coffee with a disposable spoon, Avalanche rolling his eyes and smirking by the interruption. When it was properly mixed, Talisman brought the cup to his lips and took a slow sip, making an exaggerated expression of pleasure as he drank the coffee before setting the cup down and sighing.
"Are you done, drama queen?"
"Why yes. What's up?" snickered Talisman.
"The Base Commander was just in here getting his early breakfast. And guess what?" Avalanche grinned while looking at his friend, Talisman guessing he was gonna get a bombshell response when he asked about it.
"He has a foxy grandpa?"
"Shaddup! No!" Avalanche laughed, "We don't have a sortie today! We're getting the day off!"
"No way! Seriously?"
"Hell yeah man!"
Talisman laughed as he set his coffee cup down for a moment to high-five Avalanche, the news of no sorties probably the best thing that he could have heard at this time. Because of that, his whole day was now free to do whatever he could come up with, though he most likely was just going to hop into his jet and do some flight maneuvers over the base to make sure he didn't get rusty.
Plus, he could never understand why, but he always had a fascination with just getting up into the air and flying around. It was always relaxing to him.
"Damn man, that's awesome. Thanks for the good news." Talisman said, Avalanche grinning back.
"Just doing the work a good man should do, Talisman. Hey, want to go out later at lunch with me and the other guys for some drinks?"
"I'll think about it. The last time we did that we ended up going for the rest of the day and the Base Commander got on our case about that."
Avalanche shrugged and waved as he walked off. "Whatever. Better tell me before noon then!"
"Yeah, yeah. Coffee time."
He picked his mug back up and made his way outside onto the tarmac, gazing out towards the waters of the bay and the rising sun that would soon emerge over the horizon, a smile growing on his face. Watching this reminded him of why he loved Gracemeria so much, and he hoped that today would be another nice day just like the previous several were.
"How could this day possibly get any better?"
As he stood there, watching the sunrise, far out from the bay in the Fuscum Sea, a large force of Estovakian aircraft were circling and preparing themselves around a massive flying contraption of sorts that was reminiscent of a manta ray, with huge sweeping wings and an open mouth at the front from which aircraft would launch out of by the use of aircraft carrier steam catapults. Standing out among the various Yuke and Estovakian-made export versions of Yuke aircraft surrounding the large behemoth was a two man flight, one with a pitch black Raptor look-alike with a shark mouth design on the nose, and the other with an F-15C with blue stripes on the tips of the wings, vertical stabilizers, and horizontal stabilizers.
All of the men knew what they were about to do, what was about to happen. Today was the day that they were going to attack their neighbor, a country that for the past several years since the fall of the Ulysses asteroid that wrecked their country, had done nothing but try to help them in the best way possible.
Did any of the pilots have any doubts, and private thoughts on whether they should go through with it or not? If they did, nobody said a word. Not the Estovkians, not the two mercenaries with them in the foreign aircraft. Not a word.
- Gracemeria, Capital of the Republic of Emmeria -
- August 30, 2015 1149 hrs -
A woman with blonde hair tied back in a ponytail sat reading a small book at the lawn table in her front yard, the shade of the tree she sat under protecting her from the midday sun shining above the city. A soft and pleasant song was playing on the radio sitting beside her, and it fit well with the tranquil chirping of the birds and the rustling of the leaves from the breeze.
"This day couldn't get any better…" thought Melissa Herman, who turned the page in her book.
She was waiting outside with a blue polka-dotted lunchbox for her daughter, who instead of having to stay inside in her school was going on a field trip with her class to the old half of Gracemeria, to the famous castle that was one of their city's most well known and most visited landmarks.
"Here we go!"
Melissa turned her head and smiled seeing her daughter Matilda exit her modest yellow house from the front, a spring in her step, and skip over to her mother with a bright smile on her face.
"Got everything?" Melissa asked when she stood up and gave her daughter the lunchbox.
"Yeah, I'm okay." replied Matilda. "Everything I need is in my backpack!"
The school bus Matilda rode everyday to school, this time its destination the castle, drove up their street and stopped at their house. The doors opened up with a hiss as the engine rumbled, the sounds of the rambunctious children already inside reaching their ears.
"Here honey. An offering for the king." said Melissa as she gave her daughter a silver Dobica.
Matilda pocketed the coin and gave her mother a hug before walking towards the bus, waving at her from over her shoulder.
"See you later Mom!"
"Listen to your teacher, Okay? And give the king my best."
"Dance with an angel, Mom." said Matilda with a giggle, Melissa smiling back. Her daughter entered the bus and with another hiss the doors slid shut before they drove off, Matilda waving one last time through the window next to her seat.
The bus disappeared down the street and Melissa held her arms across her stomach, slowly shaking her head with a smile on her face at her daughter's catchphrase.
That was her way of saying goodbye. Melissa's husband was an Air Force pilot, and referred to the fighter jets they flew as "angels". When he'd go on a mission that kept him away from home for an extended period of time, she'd tell him in frustration to go dance with his angels. Matilda grew up hearing this, and now she uses it all the time.
Melissa returned to her chair, sat down, and picked up her book to continue where she left off for a brief moment before setting it down again and gazing out from her front yard over the city. Her neighborhood was on the newer side of Gracemeria, in a residential area built up on a gentle sloping hill that gave a lot of houses a breathtaking view. She could see most of Novusmeria, the King's Bridge that stretched across King's Bay and connected the new half to Chester City, the old half of Gracemeria where Matilda was on her way to. For the most part, Chester City wasn't as great a sight to see as Novusmeria, it's selling point being its older design and nostalgic appearance.
What made it worthwhile to see was the large structure that stood proudly atop a citadel that dominated the Chester City skyline. Gracemeria Castle, the oldest structure in the city, and the home of the leader that helped Emmeria to prosper during ancient times, King Aurelius II. Even to this day, in the throne room of that famous castle, the king continues to watch over our city in the form of an eloquent golden statue of his likeness. Known by the populace as the "Golden King", he's been smiling for a good six hundred years. He was a gentle ruler that wasn't the most physically well built of kings, but with the giant suit of armor he wore atop his steed, his enemies were convinced to surrender without a single fight.
And afterwards, they found such warmth in the smile he would give them, that they bowed down to him in humility. His smiling face still touches the hearts of Emmeria's people, and those who come from across the globe to see the smiling king. That's the face her daughter and her classmates will be seeing today on their field trip.
After gazing out over the city for a few more minutes, Melissa returned to her book and continued to read the current chapter she was on with a smile on her face. Eventually after a song she knew and liked named "A Brand New Day", the radio broadcasters voice entered the airways and started rambling on about information that Melissa didn't really care to pay attention to.
She wished that the song was still playing, since it seemed to be a perfect match for the sunny weather. it really seemed as though the day couldn't get any better than this.
Suddenly the loud roar of jet engines screamed by overhead, Melissa snapping her head back just in time to catch two gray and black colored Su-27s soaring through the sky above her neighborhood. At first she was confused, since when had her country started using those kinds of jets in their air force, and why had they appeared so suddenly?
Her curiosity swiftly turned to horror when she watched as the two jets fired two missiles each at one of the support structures of the King's Bridge, engulfing a portion of the metal construction in smoke and fire. As the smoke cleared, the metal was revealed to be so twisted and deformed that in a matter of moments, that section of the bridge began to give way and collapse, sending a multitude of cars and trucks careening over the edge and down towards the water below.
Melissa felt her entire body go numb and her heart rate speed up intensely as she watched more fighters soon enter the airspace above Gracemeria. They began attacking other parts of the city, striking buildings and streets with their weapons. The castle disappeared behind a pillar of smoke and fire.
What was happening?
- Gracemerica Air Force Base -
With the surprise attack on the city occurring with no sense of preparation or warning, needless to say, the entire base was a chaotic mess trying to get pilots up into the air as soon as possible. Talisman himself had haphazardly woken himself up from a little shuteye in his room to get dressed in his flight suit and run outside to get to his jet, bumping into a few people on his way there and apologizing over his shoulder.
"Attention all pilots! Our capital city Gracemeria is under attack by unknown aircraft! Damage from the attack is widespread throughout the city! All planes, scramble and intercept all threats immediately!"
The Base Commander repeated the order over and over over the base loudspeakers, like some kind of chant meant to inspire the pilots to get up into the air even quicker then what they were trying to do.
"Why the hell is this happening?! What did we do to deserve this?!" he thought frantically as he finally reached his jet, climbing up into the cockpit and snagging his helmet.
An F-15E Strike Eagle, all gray, his perfect choice for a combination of air and ground attack capability. What was different about his variant compared to the standard F-15E though was that miraculously he didn't need a second person in the cockpit to be the Weapon Systems Operator. He was able to simultaneously perform both that task and be the pilot at the same time, a fact that already impressed plenty of his peers, but he just chalked it up to luck.
Today he wasn't even sure though which would be the more prevalent threat, so he didn't even bother focusing on one armament over the other. With the weapons loaded on, he slipped on his helmet and started up his jet's functions to get ready to taxi out.
He turned on the radio and almost instantly his ears were filled with the frantic chatter of the other pilots scurrying out onto the tarmac to take off, Avalanche and Windhover among the voices.
"They took out King's Bridge!"
"Who's even attacking us?"
"What the hell is going on!? Somebody answer me!"
Talisman cursed under his breath as he shifted the thrust forward ever so slightly, pushing his plane forward out of the hanger to join the growing line of jets heading to the runway. The grounds crew were flying around like ants, something Talisman would normally get a little laugh out of, but not today.
As he got into position on the runway, Avalanche and Windhover pulled him behind him on either one of his wings their own signature aircraft, Avalanche in a Super Hornet, and Windhover in the F-16C Fighting Falcon. Talisman glanced back at either pilot and through the noise and chatter, they each gave him a thumbs up and a nod that they were ready.
"Garuda 1, Avalanche, Windhover, you're cleared for takeoff."
"Got it!" Talisman gunned the engines and with a surge of speed, he and his two friends zooming down the runway.
When they cleared the ground Talisman withdrew the landing gear into the body of the aircraft, Windhover and Avalanche doing the same as they rapidly accelerated up into the sky until they had leveled out and became some of the first jets to get up into the air, with more coming up behind them.
"Garuda 1, runway takeoff complete. Good luck!"
"Roger Control Tower, whoever they are, they're gonna pay big time."
Talisman made a wide swoop around the base,waiting for more of their allies to join them in the air, including the rest of Windhover and Avalanche squadron, since attacking a superior invading force wouldn't do them any good.
"All aircraft under airborne command's jurisdiction following takeoff, this is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill!"
"Windhover, Avalanche, as soon as your mates get up into the air, follow me and the rest of the boys. We've got a city to protect."
"Roger that Talisman." replied Avalanche. "Shouldn't be too long now. I can see Blizzard and Serac now."
Once both squadrons formed up, and the rest of the pilots stationed at the base were also up in the air, the large air group started flying out from Gracemeria Air Force base towards their city, including a large E-767 that joined the pack near the rear. The interior of the large craft was not quite as hectic as the base they left, but they were still trying to gather all the intel they could from the quickly developing situation in and around Gracemeria.
At the front of it all was a man with his arms crossed over his chest, a straight-faced no-nonsense attitude surrounding him as he gazed at a situation overlay put up onto a monitor before him. On his head was a pair of headphones linked to the radio frequency all of the Emmerian pilots were using.
"Airborne Warning and Control System Ghost Eye to all scrambling defensive craft." he said to all pilots in the air. "The situation has not yet been ascertained. We must implement an emergency reformation. Follow your individual instructions."
While he was addressing the pilots, Talisman was leaning back in his flight seat, thinking over what kind of strategies he'd have to employ against the unknown aircraft. They were nearing the city and he was about to devote himself fully to combat before he heard Ghost Eye directly address him, taking him out of his thoughts.
"Could you repeat that Ghost Eye?"
"Garuda 1, you do not have a wingman." Ghost Eye repeated. "Let's see, let's see...Shamrock. Shamrock, are you alone too?"
"Yeah, I am."
Talisman glanced over his shoulder to see a lone F-16C start to speed up from the rear of the air group, passing by Avalanche's squadron on his way to the front where Talisman was. He'd heard that name before, Shamrock. He was one of the new guys transferred to the base recently, and Talisman had seen him around a few times. He looked like a nice guy, pretty book smart too, and he wasn't that bad of a pilot either.
"Very well. As of now you're Garuda 2."
"Roger that." He raised his altitude to join Talisman on his left wing, leveling out behind him.
"So I'm Garuda 2. Garuda 1, I've got your back."
"Call me Talisman. You're the new guy right, Shamrock?"
"Yeah. No time for introductions now though. Go ahead and I'll follow your lead, never was good with directions anyhow." Shamrock replied, receiving a laugh from Talisman.
"No worries. Stick with me and follow along, and we'll get through this a-ok. Never had a wingman before though so hopefully this all works out." said Talisman with a little grin.
Playtime was over though in the next few seconds. The defense force had reached the outskirts of Chester City and the pilots were able to see for themselves the destruction that had already occurred within their capital city.
Several smoke columns were spiraling skyward from various sections of the city, a few close to the castle and one from the section of the King's Bridge that had been destroyed. A mixture of anger and horror swept through the Emmerian pilots upon seeing the carnage, making them even more hungry to dive into the action and repel the attackers.
"Garuda Team, you are authorized to engage any hostile aircraft above Gracemeria. All pilots, support one another to achieve a mission success. Engage." ordered Ghost Eye as he let loose the hounds he had been keeping back.
"Roger that!"
"Now that's something I can get behind! Let's do this Windhover!"
"Right behind you, Avalanche. Lanner, Saker, with me."
The two squadrons formed up together and broke away from the larger group to commence their attack, more of their fighters doing the same thing. Talisman looked down with a slight grin at some of the fighters attacking their city and hoped that they had said their prayers, because the advantage they had was about to be swiftly taken away from them.
"Let's go Shamrock. Let's dive right in!"
"May the Golden King smile upon us."
With sharp bank downward, he and Shamrock finally entered the fray, joining their comrades in the fight to save their city and push back the invading attackers.
Talisman started reading the situation in a heart beat upon entering the battle, his eyes looking from left to right, up and down, looking at any enemy fighters that happened to come into his vision so that he could read where they were going, and try to guess what they'd do next.
Granted this was the first time he had been able to use these skills he found he had from mock battles in an actual engagement, so far it was doing the same for him now as it was during those times.
"Alright...locked in. Let's do this."
"Reinforcements. Stay alert." announced one of the pilots to his allies when they noticed the Emmerian fighters enter the airspace.
"Ghost Eye to Garuda 1, Talisman, and Garuda 2, Shamrock. We are currently in a state of emergency. Our nation is under attack by unknown forces. Do whatever you can to fend off the invasion."
"Roger, AWACS." replied Talisman, he and Shamrock quickly engaging the hostile fighter jets.
He recognized them as Yuktobanian fighters, Su-27s, but he had no idea why Yuktobania would be this far north and even attacked them when there was no reason for them to do so. If he wanted to think more about that he would've, but he had to focus on attacking and shooting down the unknown aircraft.
He fired a pair of XMAAs at two of the fighter jets, one managing to avoid the missile and the other not so lucky when their fuselage was struck and turned to fire and smoke. Shamrock split off from Talisman's side for a moment to pursue and shoot down another Su-27 before they joined back up again to continue their attack.
"Fox 2! Yeah!" exclaimed Avalanche when he scored a kill. " Got 'em!"
"This is Windhover of the 15th Squadron. The enemy is expanding its field of attack. Stay alert."
Down in King's Bay, an allied Emmerian fleet that was in the vicinity of Gracemeria made their entrance under the King's Bridge and started using their missile weaponry and guns to start assisting their air forces to defend their city.
As they were pursuing another pair of fighters, Talisman noticed one of the Flankers drop down thankfully into a park and crash in a ball of fire, a sigh of relief escaping his lungs.
"Please be safe…" Shamrock murmured, Talisman hearing him and glancing back at his wingman.
Was he concerned for the people in the city, or did he actually have family that were at risk and his primary concern was with them? He didn't spend too long thinking about it though.
Now that the enemy had to worry about naval anti-aircraft fire from the bay, the unknown fighters took higher into the skies to avoid coming into range of the ships, forcing them to contend with the Emmerian forces now. Despite that, they were still holding their own against the Emmerians, enough that it warranted the introduction of bombers into the mix to cause further damage to the city.
"Bombers approaching the city, take them out!" announced Ghost Eye when he picked them up on radar, Talisman checking his and seeing their positions appear.
"On it, AWACS! Need some assistance!"
"We're on your six, Talisman." said Windhover as he and his squadron formed up behind him and Shamrock.
"All ships in King's Bay, this is AWACS Ghost Eye. Focus all anti-aircraft fire on those bombers once they're within range. Assist our air forces in preventing any further damage to Gracemeria."
"Roger that, Ghost Eye. We're locked and loaded!"
Talisman and those with him met the enemy bombers just outside the outskirts of the city and engaged them and their escort fighters, more Su-27s, the bombers themselves Tu-160s, and by then already there were suspicions within the Emmerian ranks of the identity of their attackers.
It took Ghost Eye to finally confirm them when his team aboard the E-767 got the information they needed and handed it to him on paper, Ghost Eye's stern expression turning into a deeper frown.
"Ghost Eye to all forces. We've got an ID on the invaders. We're currently engaged with the Estovakian military."
"The Estovakians?!" exclaimed Windhover.
"Something seemed off about all of these Yuke-designed aircraft...now that just confirms it…" uttered Talisman. "It's definitely the Stovies we're dealing with here."
"Their economy's been in shambles for years...looks like they finally snapped. No wonder they were so batty around our borders. If only we had been more prepared…"
"No use thinking about it now, boys." said Talisman reassuringly. "We're here now, and we're gonna make them think twice about doing this. Come on!"
After the last bomber was shot down, his rallying cry spread throughout the ranks of the Emmerians in the air and on the ground, the defenders doubling down on their efforts to push back the now identified Estovakians from their capital city. Talisman scored another couple of kills before Windhover's squadron was pulled away by Ghost Eye informing them they were the closest to a sector where transport planes had dropped airborne tanks into the city.
Thankfully Emmerian tanks and soldiers had been hard at work since mobilizing within the city to set up roadblocks and defensive positions along with helping to evacuate the people to safe zones. When the airborne tanks that made the drop safely began their advance, they were met with heavy resistance from both the air and the ground.
The element of surprise was totally gone, and the Emmerians were slowly but surely beginning to take the initiative from the Estovakians and use it against them.
"Shamrock, come with me, there's a flight of Stovies harassing our guys trying to protect the castle." said Talisman after hearing the cry for assistance over the radio.
"Roger that Talisman, on your wing."
The two pilots flew across the bay to the castle and caught the Estovakian pilots there by surprise with how quickly they arrived, scoring two quick kills right off the bat. Talisman heard the missile alerts go off and he skillfully avoided the threat, turning his jet around to chase after the source of it.
Shamrock was holding his own too, and as he did Talisman was glancing out of the corner of his eyes always at his new wingman. Seeing him in battle for the first time, he was honestly impressed with how skilled Shamrock was.
"Looks like a fine pilot to me, good thing we had him here with us just in time for this shitstorm." he thought with a grin.
Once the threat around the castle was removed, the Estovakians started losing more ground to the Emmerians and their vibrant enthusiasm that they could win the battle.
"The Estovakian threat level is down. We should be able to take them now." reported Ghost Eye to his pilots, Avalanche snickering to himself after shooting down another Estovakian pilot.
"Looks like the Stovies are runnin' out of steam. Had enough boys?" he taunted.
"Don't start yet Avalanche, we've got more of them inbound. More fighters and airborne tank carrying transport planes." said Talisman once Ghost Eye added them to their radars.
Forming up behind their two lead pilots, the Emmerians met the second wave of enemies head on and immediately turned the tide back in their favor despite the Estovakian reinforcements.
"So these bastards think they can just barge into someone's house without even calling first? Rude." joked Windhover, getting a laugh out of Talisman and some of the other pilots.
"I say we teach 'em a few manners before we kick 'em out." Shamrock replied. "That'll show them not to mess with us."
As the airborne tanks were dropped out over part of Novusmeria, those lucky enough to make it out of the plane before it was shot down by one of the Emmerians, almost instantly had their parachutes shot out of the sky the next moment afterwards.
They'd smash to the ground harmlessly, and even if they did make it to the ground, they had to deal with Emmerian ground forces and try to survive and airstrike from above. The chance to score a victory was growing slimmer and slimmer by the second, and it got to the point that if something wasn't done to flip the cards back in favor of Estovakia, they would soon be run right out of Gracemeria with their tails tucked between their legs.
"The Estovakian threat level is even lower now. Drive them out of Emmeria." announced Ghost Eye, a small grin forming on his face as success was within their grasp.
"You heard the man. Let's wrap this up!"
- Fuscum Sea, Fifteen Miles out from Gracemeria -
Dense clouds had rolled in over the Fuscum Sea, providing the perfect cover for the Estovakian trump card that was just given the order from the operation leaders to be activated. Emerging from the clouds was the giant manta-ray like flying craft that Estovakians had launched from earlier to commence the attack, its hull glistening in the sunlight. Four more smaller craft emerged from the clouds with it, two on each of its wings.
While the existence of this air fleet of sorts was not known by Emmeria, and it was presumed there would be little threat to the mothership, the inclusion of the four escorts with the larger one was still made as a precaution for the unexpected.
"Aigaion to Strigon Team. We are prepared to launch."
Approaching low to the water a few miles ahead of the large craft was a ten man flight of black and red Su-33 Flanker-D, the symbol of a grim reaper standing with his scythe in a shield emblem with a red background shown proudly on their vertical stabilizers. The pilot leading the flight looked at their radar as preliminary information about their forces and Emmerian forces in the city was given to them.
"Strigon Leader to Aigaion. We will commence mission operations once your delivery is complete." he replied before looking up above, seeing the large aircraft flying above them.
Their AWACS was a foreigner, just like those two pilots who were still back with the Aigaion, but he couldn't dispute the fact that this man was highly skilled at his job, just like those two. It was no wonder they operated as a team, and their actions in the civil war proved it.
"Continue your approach along the water, Strigon Team. All forces will be notified of Nimbus Launch shortly. Once the primary strike has been made, move in to assist Estovakian forces in establishing air superiority."
"Roger, AWACS."
Back with the giant aircraft, it's speed slowed down somewhat, its escorts doing the same to remain in formation with their command ship. A pair of fighters flying close by started to circle closely as well, their eyes on the hexagonal pattern of hatches on top of the craft's head.
"Those missiles are doing to do a lot of damage, just like during the civil war, aren't they?" asked the pilot of the F-22A Raptor look-alike.
"Yeah...some of the Emmerian pilots might get killed too. Although, hearing the chatter from the Estovakians...seems like there was a couple stars of the show there."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
Since their status as mercenaries made it easier for them to do their own thing rather then stick to the regulations of the Estovakians, they left the air fleet to themselves and started making their way towards Gracemeria at top speed as well, hoping to get there before the battle had ended.
"Attention all aircraft. Targeting drones are in position, we are ready for Nimbus launch." announced the giant craft's captain from the bridge to all Estovakian forces before he switched to the PA system on board. "Open the silos!"
The hexagonal silos on top of the beast began to open up into three triangular doors that folded back and in on themselves, revealing six individual missiles contained inside each silo as warning lights started flashing inside of them.
"Begin the countdown."
"Booster ignition complete. Launch in five, four, three, two, one...fire!"
With a loud hiss seven of the large missiles were fired out of a couple of the silos, their smoke trails zooming away from the ship before braked slightly in the air and straightened out their path to begin soaring straight for Gracemeria.
Eventually the giant missiles caught up with the black and red fighters, who had risen up from the water and stuck together in close formation for their entrance into the city from the bay. As the missiles flew by overhead, their AWACS spoke, "Engage the enemy at will following Nimbus impact."
"Finish them off"
- Gracemeria -
Talisman had just shot down another Estovakian when those that remained started to group up together and seemed to be rereading from the Emmerians. Seeing that, the Emmerians started to celebrate among themselves at the successful defense of their capital city.
"The Stovies are running scared!"
"We did it!"
Even Ghost Eye was about to say a job well done before an alert started to go off inside his 767 and whirled around to go to the station where it was coming from.
"What's going on here?"
He leaned over the shoulder of the operator there and his eyes widened"
"Missiles incoming!"
"What, missiles? Where?"
Talisman, after hearing Ghost Eye's exclamation, looked around frantically, trying to find the missiles that they had spotted, before suddenly several large chains of explosions came to life around them. In the blink of an eye, several Emmerian jets vanished from the sky. Either consumed by the fireballs or knocked out of the sky by the shockwave, it didn't matter, the attack alone reduced their airpower by around half and left them in a frantic and chaotic state.
"multiple cruise missiles just detonated midair!" exclaimed Avalanche. "Half our planes have been wiped off the radar!"
"What the hell was that? Where are they coming from?"
"Can't worry about that now Shamrock! Look, the Stovies are coming back!"
The enemy had fainted a retreat to make room for the unknown cruise missiles and were coming back again with more reinforcements to attack the bewildered Emmerians, and Talisman was the first to meet them mostly prepared for their reinvigorated fighting spirit.
"Evade like hell if you want to make it through this alive!" shouted Windhover as he snapped back to reality when several enemy fighters started attacking him and his squadron.
"Second wave of cruise missiles inbound, brace for impact!"
Talisman dodged gunfire from a Flanker tailing him and grit his teeth when a cluster of explosions went off nearby his aircraft, the shockwave rattling his entire jet and body to their cores and nearly blinding him.
Chatter from the Emmerian pilots turned more frantic as a handful of more pilots were brought down by the devastating cruise missile barrage, and it only got worse when Ghost Eye brought them more bad news with the addition of more enemy planes approaching from the sea.
The flight of Flanker-Ds arrived in the airspace of Gracemeria, the AWACS they brought along immediately identifying Ghost Eye's presence with the advanced equipment onboard his own EW aircraft.
"Enemy AWACS detected on radar. Activating Electronic Counter Measures. Go to work, Strigon."
With the flip of a switch, the Emmerians were rendered blind almost instantly. Talisman barked out a little in pain when his helmet was filled with loud static and his radar started going on the fritz like mad, making it impossible to tell who was friend, who was foe, and just how many planes were even up in the air.
"ECCM!" yelled Ghost Eye to his men, who were trying every trick in the book to restore the electronic eyes of the Emmerians, but to no avail.
"ECCM, get it all back up! Dammit!" he cursed, holding up the headphones in his hand to his mouth. "Whatever ECM the enemy has, it's knocked out our radar and left us completely blind! All forces, be wary of who you're firing at! Use visual sight to differ between friend and foe!"
"Shit! Not good, not good!" Windhover said with a grunt. "Fuck, my left wing got grazed!"
"Hold on, we're coming Windhover!"
"Talisman, what do we do? Everything's going south!" asked Shamrock after he downed an Estovakian fighter.
"Just keep surviving Shamrock, we'll make it through this! Stick with me!" Talisman replied.
He turned his head, remembering Ghost Eye's earlier warning, and he finally saw them. A ten man flight of black and red jet fighters soaring in from the sea to assist their Estovakian comrades and taking down he and the other Emmerians.
"Alpha Flight, secure air superiority. Beta Flight, incapacitate all naval vessels currently in King's Bay. Rock and roll."
"Calling all Strigon planes. Gracemeria shall be ours for the taking."
They then split up into their respective flights, the beta team diving back down towards the water and started attacking the Emmerian naval ships in the bay, avoiding their AA fire and anti-air missiles to lay down heavy damage with their own weaponry.
Talisman and Shamrock had just broken away from an engagement they were in to meet the new enemy before Ghost Eye interrupted them again with an important announcement that even he sounded disgruntled to say.
"This Ghost Eye to all surviving aircraft. Air Defense Command has ordered an evacuation."
"What?!" blurted out Talisman. "That's bullshit!"
Ghost Eye, not having any of it, despite his own feelings, reiterated the order. "You've been ordered to give up Gracemeria."
Windhover grunted when one of the new enemy fighters started chasing him, forcing Lanner and Saker to try and get him off their flight leader's tail. Despite that, he still made his disagreement with the retreat order known.
"Are you out of your mind? We can't comply with that order!"
"We are militarily at a huge disadvantage." retorted Ghost Eye. "Comply with the order and head west."
"This is Avalanche. We're not going anywhere." said Avalanche, Blizzard and Serac agreeing with their flight lead as they continued to defend against the Estovakian forces.
Ghost Eye was starting to get frustrated with the pilots' inability to obey his orders, and he had to put aside his own feelings towards the retreat to get them to see the reasoning behind the abandoning of Gracemeria.
"Listen! It's only temporary. The plan is to withdraw, meet up with all remaining forces from each area, then regroup for a counter attack. We can't afford to lose any of you. Follow the order."
Talisman grit his teeth and cursed to himself under his breath as he and Shamrock were neck deep in an engagement with two of the black and red fighters, the pilots controlling them incredibly skilled by their own right and giving them a fair fight. They and the other Emmerians were silent for a moment, a chance for the immediate repulsion to the retreat to wear off so they can realize the facts laid before them.
Fighting a losing battle to protect their capital city could mean the deaths of even more men up in the air, and if they were to fall there, who would be the spearhead for the future battles they all knew were coming?
It was a hard pill to swallow, especially so for Talisman. He'd lived in Gracemeria his entire life, he didn't want to leave it just as much as everyone else. But if it allowed for them to fight another day, to give them a chance to take it back in the future once they had recovered, then it was worth it. For the men that had already died up till then, it was the least they could do.
"This is Garuda 2 to Garuda 1." Shamrock said, pulling Talisman from his thoughts. "We really should get out of here."
Talisman growled in response to the truth, and in his rage he tailed the enemy fighter nearest to him, one of the black and red fighters, and shot him clear out of the sky.
"Strigon 4 is down!"
"I hate to admit it but you're right Shamrock. Fuck, the truth hurts…"
He quickly retreated with Shamrock away from the enemy in order to prevent a quick retaliation for the downing of one of their fighter jets.
"Listen to Ghost Eye, everyone. We need to retreat."
"But this is our city! We're just gonna leave it to the Stovies?!" Windhover asked angrily.
"Windhover, I hate it too, but this is the only thing we can do!" Talisman yelled back. "I want to live to fight another day and get back at them instead of dying here fighting a losing battle!"
"Dammit…" cursed Avalanche to himself.
After another few moments of silent thinking the Emmerian reluctantly began to escape from the area either one by one or by squadron, Windhover firing one last missile at the enemy he was pursuing before turning away to leave with his squadron. Unknowingly that missile he fired managed to strike the jet he was aiming for, one of the black and red ones, causing the pilot inside to get jostled around heavily.
He had lost control of part of his aircraft and smoke was billowing out of one of the engines. The jet was toast, and he needed to get out of it fast before it got any worse.
"Lieutenant Colonel Voychek, you've been hit. Are you alright?" asked their AWACS when he observed the damage from above.
"I'm fine. I'm going to take my fighter down outside the city. Mission accomplished, Strigon. Gracemeria is ours."
As he took his jet towards the outskirts of the cities, the AWACS operator leaned back into his chair and pressed a button to switch radio frequencies to the two separated observers nearby.
"See everything that you needed to see, you two?"
"We have. That one in the Strike Eagle, the one in the lead. Compared to the other pilots...he seemed to 'have it' more then them."
"You think he's our man?"
"We'll have to see."
On the ground, in the neighborhoods, if they hadn't run or tried to escape already, the citizens of Gracemeria had been rooted to wherever they were, frozen in terrified awe of the air battle that had just taken place above their peaceful capital.
Fire and smoke rose from the city before them. The King's Bridge is gone. Several buildings had collapsed in fire and smoke. From her front lawn Matilda collapsed to her knees, a silent utter escaping from her lips. Somewhere nearby, a scream of terror just like the one she let out soon after was heard. She was heartbroken, scared, and horrified. How could this have happened?
Meanwhile, the Emmerians had managed to fully retreat from the city through Chester City on both air and land,Talisman and Shamrock at the front of their remaining air forces. Everyone had the same, sick to their stomach feeling at what they were forced to do, it was going to be a silent flight.
One voice did break the silence however.
"I promise we'll be back for you...just a little longer, I promise."
It was Shamrock, a single voice among a sea of silence. Despite what had just happened, his voice still had some hope in it.
Hope. They're going to need a lot of it to recover from this.
^^^^Debriefing Message^^^^
Our military has escaped destruction because of your valiant efforts on the battlefield. But our capital Gracemeria has been temporarily occupied by Estovakian forces, and our central government has been usurped by them as well. The nation of Estovakia had declared war with our country as it simultaneously launched a surprise attack on Gracemeria. In response, the Republic of Emmeria's political council unanimously adopted a resolution of open war against the Federal Republic of Estovakia. Our forces remaining on the Emmerian mainland are still fighting in desperation to protect our country. Once our intelligence has been sorted and confirmed, the Republic of Emmeria's armed forces must immediately regroup and counter attack against the Federal Republic of Estovakia. The beautiful country of Emmeria belongs to us, and only us — the Emmerian people.