A/N Heyo everybody, it feels great to be back to writing. Had to take a lil brain break to recharge but it's all good now! Anyways, these past two chapters have been faaar more bulkier then their original versions, so that means im doing something right compared to earlier writer me! I hope all of you are liking it too. I've gotten a new view on AC6 here recently, which is why im finding it enjoyable to write about it again, especially since when I first wrote it, it was a bit of a struggle to get through because to me, back then, it wasn't as strong as a title to me when compared to AC4, AC5, or especially ACZ. No worries now though! :)
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Chapter 38 - The Battle of Sipli Field

Fortunes of War

- Campagna Airport, Vitoze, southwestern Khesed Island -

- November 27th, 2015 0500 hrs -

Waking up early, despite being far away from home after being routed by an enemy nation's military across an entire continent, was still something that Talisman despised to do. He forced his body to climb up out of bed and walk to the bathroom so that he could brush his teeth and get ready.

Despite yesterday and the day before that being rife with celebration and a sense of accomplishment for the Emmerians and their successful defense, a briefing had been ordered for today because of something that apparently would make a lot of them very happy to hear. He hoped for the best, and as he spit out his mouthwash he fixed his gaze on himself in the mirror, a fire in his eyes.

"Just you wait, Estovakia, once we get reorganized, we're coming for you. We're gonna take back our whole damn continent!" Talisman said to himself confidently.

He made short work of readying himself and quickly made his way to the same make-shift briefing room they had used previously, finding Marcus and most of the other pilots waiting there already. After taking his seat, and the last few trickled their way in for the early morning briefing, it began with the dimming of the lights by Ghost Eye.

"The interception operation previously partaken by our forces was a success, and as a result, enemy air units around Khesed have been weakened. The Republic of Emmeria's military has taken full advantage of this prime opportunity to initiate a counterattack operation with all forces participating."

Talisman and several other pilots clapped their hands or fist pumped to show their eagerness to start the comeback trip, Marcus especially by shaking his hands together.

"Let's go!"

"Finally, we're gonna be the ones pushing them back this time!" jeered Lanner with a grin.

Ghost Eye had to quiet the pilots down so the briefing could continue, but while doing so he too had a grin on his face, pleased with everyone's willingness and excitement.

"Enemy forces have established a wide-scaled defensive line around Sipli Field, consisting largely of tank battalions." their Base Commander continued, pointing to the map brought up on the B.C.S. "Our ground forces are set up to cross the river and penetrate it, and eventually regain control of Khesed."

He put his hands behind his back as he looked over all of the pilots in the room, his eyes coming to rest eventually on Marcus and Talisman, the leaders of the pack.

"We need all of you to support our advancing ground units, and eliminate all enemy forces. Multiple units will be simultaneously carrying out various operations on the ground, so pay attention to the airspace above each operation area, and provide support as needed. This is but the first step of many that will bring us back to freeing our capital from Estovakian control. Godspeed."

- Unknown Coordinates, Fuscum Sea -

The mood aboard the Aigaion was somewhat tense, with the Strigon pilots feeling a little uneasy since they had lost their flight lead in Voychek during the attack on Gracemeria, and were waiting for a suitable replacement from Estovakia for their current interim flight lead. The former Strigon 2, Darigo Kovac, was good at holding the squadron together during this time, but he was far too stern when compared to Voychek.

They had also heard about the botched attempt at stamping out the Emmerians at Vitoze, causing the pilots to become aggravated. Why they weren't sent out to make sure the final nail in the coffin was hammered into place, none of them knew. Perhaps they didn't want to risk losing another one of their best aces like with Voychek.

The neglect made even some of them wish they were instead part of Estovakia's other ace squadron, led by a former Strigon member. They all knew that squadron was getting action on the mainland, while they were stuck aboard the Aigaion with nothing to do but routine patrols.

Some of the men on board weren't as angsty as the Strigon pilots, however. In his personal quarters aboard the giant airship, Cipher was sipping on some water as he clicked through a few images on his laptop.

They were taken by his aircraft's onboard camera from the fight against the Emmerian fighter pilot he called out as the hotshot.

"So he's the guy?" asked Nicolai, who was sitting behind him on his bed. "That's the guy we've been looking for?"

"From what I saw and went against during that dogfight, I could see it. He even had the potential to go even further beyond what he showcased."

Cipher closed his laptop and glanced back at Nicolai, leaning back in his chair and putting his arms behind his head and nodding his head, looking up to the ceiling. They had woken up early just like the rest of the crew aboard the giant vessel, since they had to be ready for anything, so they figured they could spend their early morning down time doing something productive.

"Lorenz was right. Our guy was here, after all this time, we found him. Albeit not in Estovakia, he was in Emmeria all along."

"If he had been in Estovakia, he would've certainly shown himself, that's for sure. Should we give him a call, tell him we found our man?"

"Not yet." said Cipher, raising a finger. "I want to be sure that this guy is the one. Let's keep watching for now, and perhaps get involved a couple more times...you know?"

Nicolai nodded his head with a smile before he stood up, putting a hand on Cipher's shoulder and patting it a few times. The two men nodded their heads and Nicolai left the room, leaving Cipher alone with himself and his thoughts. Once the door was closed, Cipher was able to close his eyes and let out a long sigh as he reconsidered his life choices up to this point.

Had he let his desire to rediscover the past after spending so much of his life running away from it, or hiding it, been a bad decision?

"Even though she doesn't show it...Liz has got to be worried sick about me by now...especially considering this whole new war has started here…" he thought to himself, sighing again. "And of course, Jasper...my own daughter…"

He leaned forward and cupped his mouth and nose with both hands, opening his eyes again to look at the small picture of Elizabeth taped to the wall right behind his laptop, a copy of the one he had in his jet. Seeing her smile, the one he had fallen so hard for, made him finally make a decision deep in the recesses of his heart.

Once he had confirmed the suspicions he had about the Emmerian pilot, and accomplished his goal, he was finally going to go back home. For good.

Suddenly the PA system of the giant aircraft crackled and the voice of the captain, someone Cipher had become acquainted with recently with his stationing aboard the Aigaion, came through from the bridge.

"All pilots report to the hangar for briefing."

Cipher raised an eyebrow and stood up, glancing at the speaker in his room with an expression of intrigue.

"A briefing, this early? There has to be something up."

He put on his flight suit as a precaution and left the room, meeting up with Nicolai on the way to the mouth of the giant craft that was its hangar. Once there, they were met with the cool early morning wind blowing through the opening from one end to the other, the speed of the Aigaion enough that it was bearable for the pilots to not have to hold onto something to avoid being carried out.

The rest of Strigon made their appearance as well, until everyone had assembled near the left wall of the mouth, the Aigaion captain arriving last with a folded piece of paper in his hand. The Strigon pilots awaited his word anxiously, practically bursting at the seams for what they hoped would be an actual operation they could be deployed on.

"We've gotten word from command. We have reason to believe that the Emmerian military will be attempting to push our forces further away from their position on Khesed Island, specifically at our recently built up defensive line located at Sipli. To ensure the Emmerians can't establish a better position, headquarters has called on you to reinforce our line at Sipli if the situation calls for you to push back the enemy."

Some of the Strigon pilots high-fived one another and celebrated at the opportunity to finally fight on the front lines again, Cipher crossing his arms and chuckling to himself at them. Their eagerness reminded him so much of the mercenaries and other personnel he used to fly with back during the Belkan War.

Once the captain finished the short briefing, he tucked the paper into his pants pocket and watched as the pilots dispersed from the group and returned to the bowels of the Aigaion. After they left, all of them giddy with the prospect of real action since the invasion of Gracemeria.

"They're like a bunch of children, aren't they?" asked the captain, glancing at Cipher, who hadn't moved an inch yet.

"Just a little." Cipher chuckled. "It reminds me of my youth."

"Some of those boys are just as old as you, you know."

"All of them haven't really been in the same situations that I've been in, have they?"

The captain chuckled at Cipher's rebuttal, Nicolai smirking slightly as he leaned against the wall. A discussion was started between the three of them about their history and past, sharing another few laughs here and there while waiting for the time to get ready for the operation.

- Sipli Field, Central Khesed Island -

- 44°58'00"N, 32°01'36"E -

- November 27th, 2015 0600 hrs -

Talisman and Marcus flew in at top speed with the central attack force of pilots, the left and right flank forces arriving in the airspace shortly after them. All three groups were in route to rendezvous with their respective Emmerian ground forces, where all three will launch a joint attack against the wide-spread Estovakian defensive perimeter stationed just past the small town of Misko.

"Attention all forces." announced Ghost Eye, being the battlefield commander. "We're about to engage enemy units on the other side of the river from multiple angles. Individual ground force leaders, sitrep."

A brief pause of radio silence was heard before a new voice the pilots hadn't heard before spoke up.

"This is Warlock Battalion of the central attack group. Our goal is to pierce the enemy's center. We're moving along smoothly through the snow, make sure you boys don't hit us!"

"Quox Battalion here. We're set up to hit the enemy from the east flank. Give us cover and we'll make sure our end of the deal is accomplished."

"Steel Gunners here. We've got the west side covered. Glad to be working with you fly boys up there!"

The pilots arrived over their marked ground forces, Talisman taking a glance below to see their tanks rolling fast across the snow towards the enemy lines, the left group having to advance through Misko in order to reach the river beyond it. He hoped the people in the small town were taking shelter, and he was sure Marcus was thinking the same.

Talisman looked ahead past the river at the identified Estovakian forces waiting for them, their HUD signatures filling up practically the whole screen and the immediate radar zone around them.

"They're not holding back here, that want to make sure we're contained at Vitoze…" he thought to himself. "They outnumber all of our forces at least three to one...this'll be interesting!"

"They've got way more guys than us. great confidence booster, huh?"

"You're telling me Marcus. No problems here though, right guys?"

Avalanche, Windhover, and their squad mates both let out a cheer of agreement, as did the other Emmerian pilots flying with them on the combined radio channel, their confidence bringing smiles to the faces of the tankers on the ground.

"Let's see if you can wow us again like last time, Talisman." added Lanner with a giggle. "Would be nice to see that."

"I'll try my best Lanner." Talisman replied with a laugh. "Let's focus up though. Here's the enemy!"

The Emmerians met the Estovakian ground forces head on, providing the initial strike against their dug in troops and armored vehicles while their tanks and forces cross the river over to the other side.

Talisman got right down to business, being the leader of the pack in the center group as he targeted several Estovakian tanks with his jet's XAGMs and wiped them out instantly. AA gunfire and SAM missiles were the response from the Estovakians, truly signaling the battle's start.

"Marcus, stay on my wing. Anything I don't hit, you follow up behind me and knock them out!"

"Roger that Talisman!" Marcus replied. "Let's make this easy!"

At the same time, the rest of the Emmerian pilots had begun their attacks on the different sectors of the Estovakian defensive line, scoring quick and easy kills against their entrenched tanks and other vehicles. If they were to have any chance of surviving, they had to get their vehicles moving, or risk getting destroyed from above.

"Did you know that 90% of our operational forces are out on the battlefield?" said Avalanche out of the blue. "Everybody's out here, believe it or not."

"Really?" Talisman asked. "Now that's what I call raising the stakes."

"I love it. It's the bet of a lifetime." added on Windhover. "It means we can go all out!"

The Estovakians started to feel the heat from the Emmerians as their ground forces finished crossing the river and began to engage them on a more direct front, their Main Battle Tanks providing covering fire as the infantry advanced through the brush and snow to seize their objectives.

Talisman destroyed a pair of tanks before he glanced at his radar and noticed another allied group appear on radar, coming in from their rear.

"This is Yellow Jacket, the supporting chopper unit. We've confirmed self-propelled artillery across the river, behind the front lines."

"Can you mark them, Yellow Jacket?" asked Ghost Eye while looking at the screens in his 767.

"Negative, this is Bird Eater of Yellow Jacket. They've got too many AA guns, we can't get in close enough."

"Roger, Bird Eater. Garuda Team, you heard him. Knock out those enemy AA guns!"

"Roger that!"

Talisman and Marcus broke off from the main group for a moment to locate the AA guns their choppers pointed out and attack them. Their rounds flew usually past the pilots as they ducked and weaved through them, destroying each emplacement one by one with their missiles. Marcus took a few glancing blows from one of the guns before they were temporarily warded off by nearby SAMs, but Talisman returned with a vengeance and shut those down quickly before they could fire any more.

"Alright, the AA guns are destroyed!"

"Local SAM sites around the area are also out of commission!"

"This is Yellow Jacket, roger Garuda Team. Moving in now to take out enemy artillery."

With the threat taken care of, their attack helicopters were able to move in and begin their attack on Estovakian forces, using their weapons to lay waste to the front lines before locating and targeting the artillery attacking their troops with their air-to-ground missiles. Fireballs soon dotted the landscape within the coverage of a snowy forest when the helicopters laid down the pain on the hidden artillery positions.

With their destruction, the ground forces started pushing harder against the entrenched Estovakians, causing their forces to lose more and more men and equipment until it proved too much for them to handle.

"Enemy forces are down to 50%, keep it up!"

Ghost Eye kept a keen eye on all the monitors and equipment aboard his 767, making sure that all phases of the operation were going as planned. He nod his head when the Steel Gunners were able to take full control of their operational target, enabling them to divert their efforts to assisting the rest of their forces still grappling with the Estovakians for their targets.

"This is Warlock, we're about to contain the enemy forces in the central combat area. Blast the hell out of anything that moves."

"Coming to do just that, Warlock! Just sit tight and let us soften them up for you!"

Talisman laughed as he soared over the battlefield, utilizing his air-to-ground missiles to their fullest extent and wiping the floor with the helpless Estovakians.

"We can't withstand their airpower, not even with the weapons we had with us!"

"Our firepower is superior to their ground forces, yet we can't even hold them back?! This is a disgrace to our country!"

Talisman scored another few kills against the Estovakians, the other Emmerian pilots starting to take notice of his domination over the battle and joke about it.

"Talisman's hogging the spotlight again!" laughed Windhover. "Can somebody end this man's killstreak?"

"Hey, this is first come first serve! You gotta beat me to the targets first!" replied Talisman, grinning. "SAM to your right Lanner, watch out!"

"Ah, thanks!"

Lanner banked right sharply to avoid a ground-fired SAM missile and quickly traced the smoke trail back to its source, knocking out the SAM with a missile that removed it as a threat.

"Enemy forces have been dealt a heavy blow. All planes, move into action against any forces still remaining."

With that announcement to the forces under his command, and the operation going smoothly, Ghost Eye decided it was acceptable for him to take a short break and take a seat nearby with a coffee cup in hand. He took a sip while keeping his gaze somewhat focused on the observation monitors inside, confident he wouldn't have to say anything until the mission had been accomplished.

Those hopes were dashed when a little alert popped up as unidentified enemy forces appeared on long range radar.

They were quick to identify them as enemy air reinforcements, and they were quick to relay the information to their pilots on the field so they would expect their arrival.

"Looks like the Stovies have some back up coming in everyone. Get ready!" announced Talisman as he and Marcus pulled up from the ground, raising their altitude somewhat.

Avalanche, Windhover, and the rest of the Emmerian pilots joined their two leaders to intercept the incoming threat, revealed to be a flight of five individual jets.

"Wait a minute...more radar signatures detected...they're the same as the ones from Gracemeria! All planes, long range cruise missiles are on approach!"

"Those again?! Shit!" cursed Windhover. "What do we do?!"

"Just gotta adapt, boys!" said Talisman as he and Marcus sped out ahead of the pack. "Don't stay too close to one another and stay moving, don't sit still and make yourself an easy target!"

Talisman looked ahead to the arrival vector of the enemy reinforcements and swore under his breath as the cruise missiles appeared first. He could see them coming in at top speed, and within a matter of moments after a countdown by Ghost Eye, the same devastating explosions lit up the sky above Sipli Field,

"God! I forgot how heavy those shockwaves were!" grunted Avalanche after the detonations occurred.

"This is Strigon 2. Push back the Emmerians."

"Roger, Strigon 2."

The five black and red jets entered the airspace after the cruise missile explosions had faded, quickly engaging the Emmerian fighters and showcasing their elite skills just like before over Gracemeria.

"These are the same pilots from Gracemeria! Don't toy with them, these guys are the real deal!"

"Roger! Don't let 'em gang up on you!"

Talisman grunted as he avoided a missile from one of the Estovakian pilots, Marcus having to deal with one of his own while Avalanche and Windhover's squadrons were split with helping them with the fighters and wiping out the rest of the Estovakian ground forces hampering their boys on the ground.

After soaring by one of the pilots during a maneuver, Talisman caught a glimpse of the grim reaper emblem on their jet and got a slight shiver from it, but rather then shrink away he actually grinned instead.

"These guys aren't anything compared to the Demon Lord! Watch and learn!"

As if he was uncorking a bottle, Talisman started to push his craft beyond the limits it was supposed to have, outmaneuvering and outflying the Estovakians far outside their expectations.

"Strigon Flight, another wave of Nimbus Missiles inbound. Brace for impact."

"Roger. The marked pilot is proving to be difficult. Target his craft with the marker drones and destroy him."

The five elite pilots started to specifically target Talisman, isolating him more and more from Marcus and the other Emmerian pilots, a plan which he could start to see was happening before anybody else could.

"Guys, they're trying to get me away from you!"

"We see you Talisman! We're coming, hold on!"

"Attention, all planes! Second wave of long-range cruise missiles inbound!" announced Ghost Eye, before their trajectories were further analyzed. "Garuda 1, they're locked onto your location!"

"What? Heh, they're not making it easy for me!"

Talisman laughed as he rolled to the right to avoid a missile and some gunfire from the relentless Strigon pilots, his head whipping around to gather their positions relative to him before he started to maneuver. He banked right, then left, the Strigons following him move for move, before he pulled a sharp turn back to the right and cut the throttle, managing to turn his jet around on a dime.

"Didn't your mothers teach you that ganging up on someone wasn't very nice!" exclaimed Talisman before he fired a missile right into the wing of one of the enemy jets.

"Gah! My wing!"

The pilot was jostled around from the impact, and to Talisman's surprise the jet wasn't destroyed or damaged as badly as he would have thought.

"Damn, those Stovies must've made their jets tougher or something."

"I can't continue the fight, I'm pulling out Strigon 2."

The fighter Talisman had struck quickly made their way out of the battle, just in time for the other Strigons to duck away from Talisman, which told him what was about to happen before Ghost Eye even began the countdown.

Explosions dotted the skies around him and Talisman's entire body was rattled to the core by the shockwaves, but thanks to last minute maneuvering, he was able to avoid being caught directly in the attack and made it out relatively unscathed.

"Wow that was a rush!" he exclaimed. "Everything's fine...my jet is good!"

No sooner did he say that the Strigon pilots were hounding him yet again, Talisman grinning slightly as he took them on once again in a staggering dance in the sky. And once again, Talisman showcased a budding superiority over the Estovakian fighters that led to another Strigon fighter getting damaged and forced to retreat.

"Look at Talisman go! Taking five on one!"

"What a legend…" remarked Lanner. "Or a growing one at least."

Marcus laughed with a couple of the other pilots, while Avalanche and Windhover jumped the gun in a completely different direction in a teasing manner.

"What's that you got there, Lanner?"

"Is that a crush on Talisman?"

"What? No!" said Lanner. "That would be unprofessional!"

"Unprofessional she says...pff."

The two pilots snickered between one another before Talisman damaged a third Strigon fighter, enough to make the Estovakians reconsider their options and radio in a retreat order to their superiors. Within a matter of seconds, the surviving fighters quickly fled the scene when their plan failed, and a third wave of cruise missiles never arrived.

"Enemy fighters are retreating. Ground forces, give us a sitrep." asked Ghost Eye, relaxing again.

"This is Warlock Battalion. All objectives have been seized, and Estovakian forces have been defeated. Sipli Field is ours."

Ghost Eye smiled, toasting his cup of coffee to the monitors while his crew cheered behind him. "Mission complete then. Pilots, get back to base. You've earned it."

"Wew! That was a bit sporty." remarked Talisman.

He joined up with the rest of the Emmerians, Marcus, Avalanche, Windhover and company all welcoming him back before they retreated from Sipli Field, entrusting it with their ground forces.

^^^^Debriefing Message^^^^

Thanks to your efforts we have completed this mission successfully, despite unforeseen circumstances. Emmerian forces were able to extend to the center of Khesed, expanding their power in the region. Estovakian forces were driven off the front line, and have retreated to Bartolomeo Fortress, which is located in the center of the island. Even with their cruise missiles on their side, this mission should have given them a good taste of what our forces are capable of. Soon we'll be able to drive all Estovakian forces out of Khesed.

- Oslo, Capital of the Kingdom of Nordennavic, Central Nordennavic -

- Same Time -

A man with somewhat graying brown hair cut short hoisted his luggage over his shoulder and looked around the flight terminal of Nordennavic Central Airport, grinning at all of the Nordec design elements put into the architecture.

"So this is what Nordennavic is like...everyone here seems pretty nice. Plus, pretty advanced stuff here too." he thought as he walked towards the exit. "Must be nice to be a neutral country. Good thing I thought of this last minute instead of trying to fly all the way here by myself..."

Once he was able to leave the airport terminal and make his way outside, he had to pull up the hood of his winter jacket because of the cold weather of the northern nation. This was the first time he had ever come to Nordennavic, and needless to say, from the landscapes he saw as they were on approach, and the general personality of the people, he was significantly impressed.

He didn't have time to admire everything though, he had a job to do. He was meeting up with his contact in thirty minutes and he didn't want to be late, especially since this would lead to his entrance into Estovakia-occuped Emmeria.

The thought of flying into enemy territory again, with nothing but the wind behind you, it actually got him pretty excited. It was an excitement he hadn't felt since 1995.

"This is gonna be a blast…!"

- Gracemeria Police Station, Gracemeria -

- November 27th, 100 hrs -

The police station of Gracemeria, once home to the smiling public protectors of the capital city, had been transformed into an Estovakian internment camp for prisoners of war and any other dissenters the occupation force deemed threatening to their control. Inside the station there were actual Emmerian police officers themselves, the ones who disobeyed the order to stand down, soldiers, and pilots who had survived being shot down in the battles that had waged across the continent in Emmeria's retreat.

One such pilot was sitting inside one of the interrogation rooms, still dressed in his flight suit, his wrists bound in handcuffs. He was looking at his hands resting on the table, the chair he was sitting in a metal fold-up chair whose only purpose was to make those who sat in it dreadfully aware of how uncomfortable it was.

There was a single Estovakian soldier inside standing guard by the door, merely a precaution in case the pilot, or whomever was sitting inside the room, decided to become too unruly.

When the door opened the pilot lifted his head and stared blankly at Voychek, the one who had entered the room, with cane in one hand and clipboard in the other. They shared a silent, minute long stare with one another before Voychek walked slowly to the other side of the table and stopped, looking down upon the pilot with.

"So...this is the next guy…?" the pilot thought to himself while examining Voychek. "Hope he's happy with my name, rank, number, and birthday."

Voychek started to speak, the pilot had learned to tune out whatever the Estovakians said to him, instead hearing nothing from the elder officer, seeing only his mouth move.

"He's skin and bones...with eyes like a hawk. But that badge, and cane...old hawk-eyes here must've broken his wings in combat."

The interrogation when the same as the previous ones, the pilot ending it with the same statements he'd tell the men before him, until Voychek was through and had him taken away to the cell he had been retrieved from. He watched the pilot go through the door, maintaining his blank expression, until the door closed shut and he was left alone in the interrogation room.

Voychek then sighed and walked around the table, before taking a seat himself in the metal chair and grunting slightly, the creak of the metal echoing off the stone walls. It really was as uncomfortable as it looked.

"Even when they're trapped within their own capital city...their forces chased to the outer fringes of Emmeria...they still continue to fight here. I can see it though...they are losing hope...it's only a matter of time now."