The first thing Eva noticed when she looked out her window as she was waking up was the several transport planes on the runway and people running various boxes and whatnot from all over the base inside them. Magic was already up and dressed, so she seemed relatively unfazed by the situation.
"What do you think's going on?" Eva asked as she started to get dressed.
Magic took another brief look out the window and shrugged. "I guess it's moving day or something," she guessed. "Not for us, though. Because that would be way too convenient for us," she added with a healthy dose of sarcasm.
Eva chuckled. "I suppose you're right. Can't say I haven't been dying to get out of this desert, though," she pointed out. While that was true, she couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental about leaving the place. They had lived here for months, and while it was definitely home to some shitty memories, it was also home to a few good ones too. Although, that wasn't going to stop her from being excited about leaving.
Once she finished getting dressed, Eva wandered around her room for a few minutes, unsure what to do. Part of her wanted to go down and see what was going on down below, but she also didn't want to feel like she was getting in the way. Eventually, she ended up having the question of what to do answered for her as she heard a knock at the door.
"Magic? Diamond? You two in there?" Eva quickly recognized the voice of Crosswind through the door.
"Yeah, we're in here," Magic answered before Eva got a chance to. "What's up?"
"Briefing room," was all Crosswind said. "Gates'll explain once you're there, and be sure everything you have with you is packed."
"We didn't bring anything with us, though," Magic pointed out. "Kinda came here with nothing but the clothes on our backs and our planes, remember?" she asked in a witty tone.
"Just get your asses over there," Crosswind replied. "I've still gotta go get the others."
Eva shrugged, taking the only thing she had with her that wasn't clothing, the birthday card the others made and put it in one of the pockets of her flight suit. "Well, I guess we're finally gonna get to know what's going on," she said, walking over to the door.
Magic scoffed as she followed behind Eva. "Here's to hoping it's some good news."
Along the way to the briefing room, Eva and Magic ran into Vortex and Charger, who were just as in the dark about the situation as they were. Lucky and Poet, who caught up to them as they were entering the briefing room, had no idea what was going on either, but they all agreed to keep their expectations low. Trench, Magnum, Axe, and Dodger were already seated waiting for them, and the latter three all glared at them as they took their seats.
"There you all are. I hope you're rested up and ready to travel," Gates said welcomingly as everyone sat down.
"You ready to tell us what the hell is going on yet?" Magnum asked impatiently.
Gates nodded. "Well, that's why I called you here," he explained. "The Osean Air Force Base 262nd Squadron is officially being transferred, meaning we're finally getting out of this desert."
"Everyone?" Vortex asked. "Where exactly are we getting transferred to?"
"Well, the main force is continuing to move west. In a few days, they'll be capturing an enemy base to use as a bridgehead to attack Farbanti, meaning the end of the war is finally in sight," Gates explained.
"However, the war likely isn't going to end with Farbatni," Major Tillmin jumped in. "There's still the Space Elevator and the second Arsenal Bird. The Arsenal Bird is getting continuously resupplied by a mass driver located on Tyler Island, and that's where we're getting transferred to."
As soon as her mind put together the pieces that they weren't going to Fort Grays, Eva felt her heart sink. Even though she went in with low expectations, she still found herself disappointed. The war was so close to being over, yet, they were still flying with a penal squadron who hated their guts.
"So what you're saying is that we're still not getting sent back to Fort Grays?" Charger asked what Eva was thinking. "It's been over a month since we linked back up with friendly forces. I mean, how long could it take?"
Gates sighed. "Look, I get that you guys are frustrated- really, I do, but there's only so much I can do," he defended himself. "I've been working as hard as I can. Things are just… difficult. Now, moving on." Gates turned his attention to the briefing screen, which zoomed in on Tyler Island. "Osea's been trying to take Tyler Island for quite some time now, and their efforts, for the most part, have largely proven unsuccessful. In fact, they have yet to capture the airport on the island. That's where we come in. When we arrive, we'll link up with the 444th Squadron, an ex-penal unit that's been at this for quite some time now. Once we-"
"Hold on a second," Magnum interrupted him. "What do you mean by 'ex-penal unit?' As in they've been pardoned?" she asked. "Gee, sure is convenient that these guys get pardoned, but we're still sitting here twiddling our thumbs, waiting for ours like these losers waiting for their oh-so-precious transfer order." She gestured to the Nexus Squadron pilots.
"You don't have a damn clue what goes on behind the scenes," Crosswind butted in, coming to Gates's defense. "So why don't you just settle down before jumping to conclusions?"
Gates stepped between the two, putting his arms out in front of them. "Listen, I understand that everyone here is tense, but we'll get through this. I'm trying my hardest to get your pardon and Nexus Squadron's transfer order, but you have to consider the fact that High Command thought that we've been dead since May. That tends to throw a wrench into logistics a bit," he pointed out. "Besides, capturing Tyler Island will be a big win for Osea, and if we're the ones who help provide that win, then that will definitely help speed things up."
"When we arrive, our goal isn't to take the whole island in a day," Tillmin continued. "All we need to do is take the airport. Once it's under our control, we can dig our heels in and go from there."
"Part of the reason it's been taking Osea so long to get control of the island is the fact that Erusea has overwhelming air superiority on the island," Gates added as he stepped forward. "They've also got a significant fleet behind them as well, which has only added to the difficulties. With that being said, though, if anyone can break this stalemate, it's you. That much, I am sure of. Now, let's all make sure we're ready to leave. We've got a long journey ahead of us."
Since they didn't have much else with them besides the clothes on their backs, Eva and the others did whatever they could to help speed up the moving process. It felt nice to help out, not to mention it was a nice distraction from the thought of being stuck with the convicts for a bit longer. Eventually, though, the time finally came for them to get ready for takeoff. As Eva taxied onto the runway, she looked around at the base around her, which now sat empty. If it weren't for this base, she and the others likely wouldn't have survived after Farbanti, and she couldn't help but feel at least slightly sad to see the place go. She had taken off and landed on this same runway so many times, and now was the last time she'd get to do it. Taking a deep breath, Eva gently pushed the throttle forward and began to accelerate. Once she had enough speed, she gently lifted her plane off the ground and followed the others as she slipped into formation behind them. Eva took one last look at Air Force Base 262 before they left it behind forever.
With such a long flight, there wasn't much that Eva and the others were able to do. As a result, they found themselves getting bored very quickly. They passed the time by telling jokes, swapping stories, and even briefly trying to play Eye Spy, which didn't exactly work out. Sometime later, they landed at a small airfield to refuel. It was an incredibly brief stop that would've like the be a bit longer, so she would've had more time to stretch her legs. They continued flying at a rather leisurely pace for another hour or so when, finally, the fighters got permission to fly ahead, which meant they were finally reaching their destination. The transports all hung back since the area was still hot, leaving it up to Rogue Squadron to clear the way.
"We're entering the AO," Crosswind informed the pilots. "I'll tune us into the Oseans' frequency here in just a second. Stand by." After a few seconds of static, their radios once again went silent until Crosswind spoke up again. "All Osean aircraft in the airspace above and around Tyler Island, this is AWACS Crosswind of the Osean Air Force Base 262nd Squadron. We're entering the AO and preparing to provide air support as needed."
"Reinforcements, eh?" The reply came from a sly-sounding man. "It's about time they finally sent some more aircraft. I was getting tired of being the only pilot up here."
"You're the only Osean fighter up here?" Crosswind asked.
"That I am. Spare 11, 444th Squadron," he introduced himself. "Most people call me Tabloid, though."
"What happened to the rest of your squadron?" Poet asked.
"They all got shot down at one point or another," Tabloid answered. "I've been holding my own out here, but it's hard when I'm so outnumbered."
"Well, don't worry. We've got your back," Vortex assured him. "Rogue Squadron is here and prepared to lend a hand."
"Alright, the ground forces are making a push for the airport, but they're getting hammered by the Erusean fleet and air support," Tabloid explained.
"How about we split up then?" Charger suggested. "One group takes out the fleet while the other secures air superiority."
"Good idea, Charger," Vortex agreed. "Dodger, Magic, and Trench, come with Charger and me to deal with the fleet. The rest of you, go help Tabloid in the air," he ordered.
Without another word, Eva gently pushed the throttle forward as the others pulled away from the formation to deal with the fleet. She set her sights on a flight of F-2s that just passed over the allied ground troops and were looping around to make another pass. Before they could turn around completely, Eva fired a pair of standard missiles at one of them and started firing machine guns at the other. The first F-2 evaded her missiles, but the second one exploded before it could get away. After that, the remaining three all split up as Eva got close to them. She tried to hit them all with 6AAMs, but they were already too far into their maneuvers by the time she fired. Tightening her grip on the control stick, Eva pulled her plane to the left, following one of the F-2s. She tried to bring it down with machine guns, but they were moving too much for her to get any hits on. Eventually, she went full throttle, bringing herself close enough to get two solid hits with standard missiles to bring them down. A missile lock warning quickly grabbed Eva's attention as the last two fighters came up behind her. Both of her pursuers fired missiles at her, so she inverted her plane and went down to the ground. The F-2s chased after her, but by the time she looped back around, she already had a clear shot on both of them, giving her a perfect opportunity to fire a pair of 6AAMs at them.
"Crosswind, how are we looking? What's the ground units' status?" Lucky asked as he twisted around to get behind an Su-37s tail.
"They're beginning to move in on the airport now that you guys are keeping the enemy fleet and fighters busy," Crosswind reported. "But we've still got a long way to go. Don't stop yet."
Eva looked around the battlefield, looking for her next target, and decided to turn her attention to a pair of MiG-31s coming up behind Poet. Luckily, since they were distracted by trying to bring Poet down, they didn't have time to react as she came up behind them and fired a salvo of 6AAMs at them. Next, she turned toward another Su-37 that was heading straight for her. While Eva managed to hit them with two missiles as they flew past each other, the Su-37 also got a few hits on her with their machine guns. Although, nothing seemed to be too damaged.
"Crosswind, the fleet has been destroyed," Vortex reported. "We're gonna link back up with the others and help establish air superiority."
"Copy that, good work," Crosswind replied. "It looks like the Erusean fighters are regrouping for one last push. Drive them back so that the ground forces can finish their operation to capture the airport," he ordered. "Once you take care of them, you can land, and we'll all get settled in."
"Roger that, let's go," Tabloid responded as he followed the others toward the last group of enemy fighters.
Eva looked around at the different squadrons heading their way and eventually decided to go after a pair of Su-35s. As the three planes flew right at each other, they fired missiles. Eva fired hers a few moments after the Eruseans did, hoping that they wouldn't have enough time to react, but they maneuvered away before her missiles got close. She deployed countermeasures and passed the two Su-35s, continuing to go straight and putting some distance between herself and them until she had enough room to turn around and have a clear shot on both of them. She fired a pair of 6AAMs the second she had a solid lock on both of them, but they both deployed countermeasures before her missiles could hit. The two Su-35s split up and came at Eva from both sides with machine guns. She took a couple of hits but managed to pull up before anything got too damaged. The Su-35s split off before they hit each other and went in different directions. One went after Eva while the other looped around. As she straightened her plane out, Eva saw an opportunity to take one of them out and decided to go for it. She pulled back on the throttle sent her plane straight up into a cobra, sailing past the Su-35 behind her until their positions were reversed. Before they even realized what happened, Eva fired a pair of standard missiles at them and shot them out of the sky. With their wingman down, the second Su-35 didn't last long against Eva as she circled around and took them out with her guns. Eva looked around, trying to see if anyone needed help, but to her surprise, the others had just finished taking out the rest of the Erusean fighters.
"Well, looks like that was the last of them," Crosswind observed. "And the airport is under our control as well."
"That mean we can finally land now?" Dodger asked in an annoyed tone. "Quite frankly, I can only put up with flying next to these assholes for so long."
Magic scoffed. "Yeah, the feeling's mutual, pal, believe me," she replied.
"Let's just get down and settled in," Vortex jumped in before the argument could get any further. "We've all had a long day."
"Fine by me. I'm beat as it is," Eva chimed in as she followed the others over to the airport to land.