Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.

If you're a fan of John Wick, you owe it to yourself to see 'Nobody' at some point. Very fun movie that is more than worth the price of admission. In the immortal words of Joe Bob, "Four stars, go check it out!"

ScreamingStuka: I pretty much felt the same way, especially considering how he tried to kill Hardy and Cooper it made sense to use explosives. Don't worry, the crew of Bronco does feature in this chapter. Though you were not quite right with the T-80 part. They crew a T-84, which is a version of the T-80 but with a diesel engine. Of course, the T-80 started out as a T-64 with a gas turbine engine. And the T-64 used a diesel engine throughout it's service life. Here's to you enjoying this chapter.

Alright, since we're back in Symkaria, I figured I could break out Sabaton without anyone getting too irritated. This is another one off The Great War and is in fact the opening track off that album. It's a good tune, a great opening salvo to hook you on the album, with a pretty funny music video to boot, but I went with it for the subject matter. The song is about the battle of Flers-Courcellete on September 15th, 1916, the first use of the Mark I tank in combat, and the subsequent ushering in of the age of armored warfare. Of course, when using the song here, I don't mean tanks...

Power Without Question – Chapter 90: The Future of Warfare

The spell has been broken

A new way to wage war has come

The future of warfare

For all to be seen, 1918

The new world approaches

Villers-Bretonneux

Mechanized warfare

Breaking away, coming your way

Standing in the line of fire

32 will lead the way

Coming over trench and wire

Going through the endless grey

With a cool and impassive gaze, Silver Sablinova's blue eyes roved over the holographic display table in the middle of the Sable International command center that had been established at MOB Anastasia, the renamed airfield that had been taken on the first day. In the weeks that had passed since that opening strike, Sable International armor and infantry had been steadily advancing eastwards, sustaining thankfully few casualties despite fierce, if sporadic, fighting.

That advance, while steady, was still not moving as quickly as the Symkarian mercenary would have liked. Hamstrung by their dwindling munition stocks, she had been unable to organize a big offensive thrust to break through the increasingly solidified lines of the forces loyal to the Ministers. Instead, the advance had been based off of slow, probing thrusts into lightly defended areas while she awaited the promised shipments of more equipment from Oscorp in the United States. The amount coming in was enough to resupply the munitions expended in the action Sable units saw but prevented Sablinova from stockpiling enough for a larger operation.

Still, the logistical situation on the ground was better than the one for their air forces. While Sable International fighters remained in operation, their ground attack craft were unable to aid in the advance; with no ordnance to arm them with they were effectively useless. Thankfully, they hadn't been needed in some time, her ground forces able to take care of themselves and the times they did need support then the artillerymen were able to answer the call. Though for how much longer their supplies would enable them to do that was a source of anxiety for Sablinova and her logisticians.

More frustrating was that every time Sablinova had reached out to ascertain the issue that Oscorp was having with meeting the requirements of Sable International, she had been stonewalled. Silver was not optimistic about her ability to win this war if she was forced to continue to fight with one hand tied behind her back. And as the war dragged on, with no signs of the Ministers capitulating, Sablionva was secretly concerned that her foes had their reasons for continuing to resist what was, on paper, an overwhelmingly superior force. Even more concerning were the reports of the enemy movement behind the lines. Despite these reports, Sable International had yet to encounter any enemy reinforcements or notice an enemy withdraw, so their nature remained a mystery.

She was abruptly interrupted by seeing a flash of motion in the corner of her eye and looked to see one of her command staff standing at attention, rendering a salute she quickly returned. With that formality out of the way, the staffer got straight to the point. "Ma'am, incoming SHIELD communication for you, marked urgent," reported the officer.

"Understood," replied the Symkarian as she turned and walked alongside her subordinate towards the communications hub, "Anything from Oscorp?" Both Sable International members strode in lockstep as Silver looked to her subordinate and was unable to totally hide the slight look of disappointment on her face when she saw the staffer shaking his head. "Very well, notify me the moment one should arrive," she instructed firmly right as the two arrived outside the communications room, "Dismissed."

"Ma'am," returned the aid before snapping off a sharp salute and turning on his heel as Silver went inside and began to wonder what Fury's people wanted to tell her. Giving a curt nod to her communications officer, Silver stood straight and awaited the connection to be established.

When the screen came to life, Silver raised one eyebrow in question, concealing her surprise at who appeared on the line. Not one of the usual agents that would give her an update from the American Intelligence Agency, but a dark skinned and eyepatch wearing man wearing a grim expression. "Director Fury," greeted Sablinova, her disciplined expression firmly back in place before she spoke, "This is most unexpected."

"For you and me both," replied the Director with a tension in his tone that didn't go completely unnoticed. "The truth is, I'm calling because I have two pieces of news for you. One is bad, and the other is worse." As always, the man was direct to the point of bluntness, but his typical icy demeanor seemed to be showing a few cracks that caused Silver to frown with worry. "The bad news is that the situation with Oscorp hasn't been resolved yet, and will not be for some time. I've exerted what pressure I can, but the fact of the matter is that full shipments will not be sent for the next two weeks. And that's assuming Osborn plays ball," amended Fury as he rolled his one eye. Both of them knew how likely it was the Billionaire would capitulate to the Director's pressure.

That timeline was not feasible, not with the current situation of the PMC. "What seems to be the problem? Should I begin searching for alternate sources of ordnance?" asked Sablinova. Even if she did her best to not let on how close to dire the situation was, she could hear the desperation in her own words.

Fury shook his head, "It wouldn't be worth it. The problem Osborn is dealing with isn't with production, it's the supply chain. Your missing equipment has been…lost…stateside, which is why you aren't getting it. Once that issue is resolved then Oscorp should have no trouble filling your orders. And if you were to go somewhere else, it would take longer to get the production lines set up than this issue will take to resolve." That was both reassuring and worrying to the Symkarian. The best-case scenario was that the delay would give her time to organize her offensive. "But that isn't the reason for this call. I've received reports that the movement we've been seeing is in preparation for a Loyalist offensive and that there are 'Experimental Armored Units' involved."

"And what, precisely," emphasized the Symkarian, "Does that mean?"

"I don't know," answered Fury quickly, "I can't even tell you where they're headed, we have nothing on satellites. But these reports are from a trusted source, and I'd bet my good eye that they're right. I'm telling you this myself because it could be too important for you to dismiss because all the blanks aren't filled in."

"I did not come all this way to fail due to carelessness, Director," assured Sablinova. Lack of ammunition was a different matter entirely, however. "Your warnings will be heeded. But should you learn any more information about either of these topics, then please send it. Both are serious matters." Fury gave a nod and small grunt of acknowledgement, which was all Silver needed. "If that is all, good day, Director."

With that, the communication line was cut, causing Fury's face to disappear from the screen as Silver let out a breath. She would have to slow down the advance of her troops in case the enemy attack did come. Hopefully they would not be ready for a few more weeks so that more munitions could arrive, but Sablinova couldn't count on that. The enemy, it was said, inevitably attacked on two occasions: when they are ready and when you are not.

And Sable International was certainly not ready.

"Driver, advance," ordered Truck as the T-84 began to slowly trundle forwards into the small Symkarian village of Kvasivir along with the rest of the vehicles of the 1st and 2nd platoons of Bravo Company assigned to support the infantry liberating Kvasivir. "Stay sharp," said the TC as Bronco passed the first building on the outskirts of the village, knowing full well that tanks were not ideally suited to urban fighting. Thankfully, as he checked his optics, he could see squads of Sable International infantry in their white armor going down the street on either side of his tank.

The minutes crawled by with agonizing slowness as the Sable infantry and armor continued their slow and steady advance. There had been nothing, hostile or civilian, since they had entered the village and it was starting to unnerve Mack. "Sir, contact on thermals. Three story structure on the right, 70 meters," alerted Lyudmila as the woman brought the 125mm gun onto the building she had called out.

"Driver, halt!" barked Williamson instantly as the 55 ton tank ground to a stop, the turbodiesel engine still rumbling at idle as the commander switched radio channels to the infantry around his tank. "X-Ray 1-4 this is Rapier 2-2, be advised, my gunner has something on thermals. Three story at the end of the street."

"Copy that Rapier 2-2," replied the grunt, "Is that the one on the left or the right?"

"The right, it's the one with the awnings on it," clarified Truck while continuing to scan for anything else out of the ordinary and not letting himself get fixated on this one structure.

"Solid copy, we'll check it out. Keep us covered, 1-4 out," replied the infantryman as Truck could see a fireteam of four armored troopers begin to advance up the road towards the building.

Unable to shake an odd feeling in his gut, the veteran kept his eyes glued to his scopes even as his radio came back to life. "All Rapier callsigns, this is Rapier Actual. Be advised, I'm getting reports of potential hostile activity outside Kvasivir, Advance to the far side of the town and prepare to receive incoming hostiles." His hand squeezing tighter around the controls, Truck didn't attempt to deny how worried he was at these new revelations. "You'll have artillery support to service targets outside the town perimeter, but I can't authorize fire missions within the residential area and CAS is unavailable at this time. So, until you're clear of the village you're on your own. Rapier Actual, out."

While Truck had his own feelings on that, it seemed that his crew did too. "So ein Misthaufen! We're on our own then, is that it?" snapped an exasperated Kaiser from his position in the hull. "If we don't get moving then we'll be caught in this town when we're engaged and without any support. Sir, this is insanity!"

"And if there are hostiles already here, then rushing ahead will put us in an ambush with the same amount of support," retorted Smirnova with a bit of bite the Russian woman rarely showed.

"Ludy's right," said Williamson with forced calm, "Let the grunts do their job and we'll do ours. With any luck…" began the TC as he saw the distinct smoke plume of an RPG firing as a rocket streaked at Bronco. "Contact!" shouted Mack as the vehicles APS came to life, tracking the incoming projectile and firing out a burst of Multiple Explosively Formed Penetrators that intercepted and destroyed the incoming HEAT munition. "Gunner, MPHIE, infantry, rooftop. Two story building at 11 o'clock, 100 meters. Fire!"

"On the way!" replied Ludy, the muzzle of the smoothbore gun already settled on the target as she pulled the trigger, the entire tank rocking back as the round went downrange. Mack watched a brilliant red blast engulf the rooftop of the building as the round struck just below it, blowing out the wall and causing a portion of the structure to collapse in on itself. "Gun ready!" reported Smirnova as the breech went up on the next Redhead shell with metallic 'thunk.'

But that RPG was just the beginning, through the optics, Mack could see a half dozen different streams of tracers filling the air around his tank, some of the rounds pinging harmlessly off the T-84. The experienced tanker went to work, sending a ping to request support over the tactical net as he focused on acquiring a new target for his gunner. "Gunner, put a Redhead in the third floor corner window, 200 meters."

There was a moment of pause as the gun trained in that direction and Smirnova tried to acquire the target, "Roger, engaging enemy machine gun. On the way!" shouted Ludy over the comm as the gun thundered again, throwing bits of stone across the road and turning what remained around the hole into molten slag, silencing the gun.

"Rapier 2-2, this is Rapier 2-5, I'm coming to crash your party!" called the somewhat jovial tones of 2nd Platoon's BMPT Terminator commander as the close-range fire support vehicle emerged from a street two blocks ahead of Bronco, crushing a car undertrack as it turned in line with the T-84. The unmanned turret of the Terminator trained on one building and the twin 30mm autocannon came to life, spitting out explosive and fragmentation rounds that shredded the hostile position. With the incoming fire starting to die down, the Sable infantry began to advance once again, even as the ferocious fusillade of fire from the BMPT silencing another machine gun nest.

"Driver, advance, 50 meter spread with 2-5," instructed Truck as the T-84 began to move again, passing by the blasted-out buildings and turning the rubble to dust under the vehicle's weight. The sudden frantic action had died out as quickly as it had started, infantry fireteams clearing out the buildings the armor had put rounds into while others stayed with the vehicles as they continued their advance. While the advance continued unimpeded, it had slowed as more time was spent checking and clearing buildings that could have housed enemies laying in ambush, and that delay was not one that they could tolerate, not with the prospect of more incoming opposition.

And unbeknownst to the men and women of Sable International, their time had run out.

Mack's earpiece crackled to life, "What the hell is that?" shouted 2-5 as the turret of the BMPT suddenly swung right, "Fuckin' shoot that thing!" The twin autocannons came to life again, spitting out a continuous stream of 30mm shells as Bronco came to a halt, the crew only able to watch. A stream of rockets came back, slamming into the side of the Terminator, setting off the ERA plating and blowing off its tracks as the infantry with the Terminator turned to fire upwards at whatever was attacking. "This is Rapier 2-5, we are engaging a giant enemy robot! Requesting immediate…"

Williamson's eyes widened as he saw what the 'giant robot' was, the 20 foot tall, bipedal machine emerged from around the corner, metal foot coming down on and crushing a soldier as the gun in its hands fired at the other infantrymen, the soldiers scattering for any cover they could find. The 30mm rounds of the Terminator punched dents and a few holes in the heavily armored machine, but were unable to stop it as a massive armored hand dropped down atop the BMPT turret. When the mechanical fist closed around the weapons of the BMPT, crushing one of the missile launchers before half of the turret was ripped off and a pod came up over the machine's shoulder. There was a plume of smoke out the back of the pod as a small burst of rockets slammed down on the BMPT's weak top armor, the fuel tanks erupting in fire as thick black smoke began to belch from the armored vehicle. "Holy shit…" murmured Truck as the massive machine turned towards the T-84 and the TC was knocked from his stupor. "Ludy…" he began, but he didn't have to finish.

"On the way!" cutoff the gunner as the 125mm smoothbore simultaneously roared in response, sending the High Intensity Energy round slammed into the weapon the machine was carrying, blasting some pieces off the heat deforming the gun that remained together.

"Kaiser, back up!" called Truck as the autoloader extracted the spent casing next to the TC in the turret as driver down below put the T-84 into gear. But the robot ahead of them took a step towards them, then another as it rapidly began to pick up speed, "Back the fuck up! Get us back away from that thing!" There was a mechanical noise from the autoloader that told Mac it had almost reloaded as the tank picked up speed, backing away from the mech. "Ludy! Shoot the leg! Shoot the leg and load sabot!"

The breech of the gun lifted slightly inside the turret as the muzzle of the 125mm depressed before Smirnova called out, "On the way!" before the tank rocked on its treads even as it continued to reverse, Kaiser expertly weaving his way through the debris and vehicles on the road despite the oncoming attacker. It was a good thing too, because the round that the tank had just fired struck home, hitting just above the knee joint on the machine's left leg in a bright red flash, blasting off and melting chunks of armor as well as the frame. The damage caused the leg to give out and the machine to topple forwards mid stride, narrowly missing the reversing Main Battle Tank as it slammed into the cobblestone street, sending bricks flying as it skidded to a stop.

But the Sable tank crew wasn't out of the woods yet as the robot propped itself up on one arm and raised its missile pod once more. "Ludy, fire sabot!" barked Truck as the breech closed once again.

Without responding, Smirnova pulled the trigger sending a depleted uranium dart straight through the front of the 'torso' of the machine, slicing a neat hole as it traveled down the robot's full height until it buried itself in the midsection. That hit caused the machine's torso to explode spectacularly from what Mack assumed was the power core being ruptured, bisecting the machine and sending both top and bottom halves flying in opposite directions as smoke filled the street and debris peppered the front of Bronco. When the dust did finally settle, Truck looked through his optics to see the top half of the vanquished machine resting against a building on its side, the front opened up to reveal the charred remains of a man strapped to a seat inside. "What…the hell was that?" wondered the TC lowly.

"My god…" whispered Lyudmilla, "I heard about those in New York," explained the gunner, her voice trembling, "They're called 'Titans.'"

"Kaiser, turn us around and head back to the rally point at the edge of town," instructed Williamson as the German grunted an acknowledgement and traversed the tank 180 degrees while Mac adjusted the comm channel with a shaky hand. "Rapier Actual, this is Rapier 2-2, reporting hostile 'Titan' contacts. Please advise, over."

The air inside the command center at Sable International MOB Anastasia seemed to chill as soon as the word 'Titan' was heard from the radio traffic they were monitoring. Silver Sablinova's mouth hung open in shock for a second as the implications flew through her head only to be pushed aside. Steeling herself, the Symkarian marched across the center and grabbed one of the radios. "Rapier 2-2, this is Silver Bird," said Sablinova slowly, forcing herself to remain calm and not show the worry that had been continuously growing ever since she had spoken with Director Fury that morning, "Confirm hostile Titan presence."

There was a brief moment of total silence as the entire room came to a stop and waited for the response. "Uh, Silver Bird, this is Rapier 2-2. We have engaged and destroyed a seven meter tall hostile bipedal mech of some kind. My gunner says it matches the descriptions she heard of Titans in New York." Fury's words about 'Experimental Armored Units' being a part of a possible enemy attack repeated in Silver's mind, but never in her wildest dreams, or worst nightmares, would she have guessed the Director could possibly have meant the IMC mechs.

But questions for her ally in SHIELD had to wait, there were more pressing matters at hand. "Understood, good work Rapier 2-2. Stand by for support and further orders, Silver Bird out," replied Sablinova before switching the radio off and turning to face the room. "Bring up Rapier's position!" she barked out fiercely, snapping the rest of the room from their trance as they went back to work and map of the small town of Kvasivir and its surrounding areas was put on the display, showing the real time location of Sable units, with different colors showing their status. Quickly running through the options, the Mercenary quickly settled on her best possible option. "I want a peel back to this ridgeline northwest of the village, sequence of units is south to north," rattled off Sablinova as she pointed to a bit of high ground just under a kilometer outside Kvasivir, "Once there they will spot for our artillery and air support."

"But ma'am," interjected the officer in charge of coordinating Air Division sorties, "We have no AG ordnance for the Frogfoots or Flankers. We can't run CAS missions."

Sablinova fixed the man with a cold stare, "There is ordnance for the A-10, no?" asked the Symkarian, getting a tentative nod back, "Then have my aircraft fueled and armed. I will go myself."

"Is that wise?" questioned the staffer.

"I did not lead these men here just to let them die, Lieutenant Colonel," snapped back Sablinova in reply, finally removing any lingering questions the officer might have had, "Is that understood?" When he nodded, a bit of the fury Silver felt faded as she addressed the man coolly, "Very good. Have my aircraft readied. Who is the Alert 5?"

"That would be…let me see," replied the officer shakily as he looked down at his datapad, "It's Galm Team, ma'am."

"Scramble them, they will be my escort," said Sablinova as she surveyed the room, "Am I clear?"

"Crystal!" chorused back the rest of the personnel there, prompting Silver to give them an approving nod before spinning on her heel to go suit up and head for the hangers.

"Yo buddy," called Pixy over the radio as Cipher looked over his shoulder at the red winged Flanker off his wing, "This is why they pay us the big bucks." Behind his oxygen mask, Galm 1 cracked a tiny smile as the two SU-35s that had flown across the border now circled over MOB Anastasia, waiting for the aircraft they were to escort to take off.

Galm Team, like the rest of the Flankers of Sable International, had been doing almost nothing but the odd patrol for weeks. With there being no CAS missions to provide escort for and nothing coming from the Loyalist airfields to intercept it was quite a shock when they were scrambled and told to fly into Symkaria to escort a ground attack aircraft. "They don't pay us to circle and chat Galm 2," responded Cipher before switching his radio channel and speaking into it again. "Anastasia tower, this is Galm leader, we are on station and standing by."

But the two fighter jocks were in for yet another surprise. "Acknowledged Galm Lead, CAS aircraft is taxiing, callsign Silver Bird, break. Proceed to waypoint Hotel Lima and hold. How copy?"

Two words drew another dry remark from Foulke in Galm 2, "Silver Bird, huh? Yeesh," muttered the fighter pilot, "Guess we'd better be on our best behavior."

Cipher did his best to ignore his wingman's commentary as he winged over and looked down to see the white painted and straight winged A-10 begin to pick up speed as it barreled down the runway. "Solid copy tower, Galm 1 out," answered the lead Flanker before switching his radio back to the channel he shared with Pixy, "That's right Foulke, so mouth off and game face on. Now go button 3."

Both pilots now switched to the frequency they had been given for when they linked up with their charge, and any lingering doubt regarding who exactly was flying the Thunderbolt II they were tasked with protecting was dashed as an accented female voice filled Cipher's helmet. "This is Silver Bird to Galm team, our bearing is 115 for 85 kilometers, maintain CAP at angels 5."

"Roger," replied Cipher as he pulled back on the stick and climbed to altitude, "Let's go hunting."

"Gunner, coax, troops!" barked Truck as he spotted movement down the road from his T-84 that the thermal imager showed to be infantry weaving their way through the vehicles and buildings towards the tank. With the Sable forces falling back, it was up to the tanks of Rapiers 1 and 2 to hold at the edge of the town and cover the infantry while they hoofed it across open ground and set up on the ridgeline behind them so they could cover the 7 remaining Sable tanks as they made their dash to join them.

"Identify, troops, 150, on the way!" reported the calm voice of Ludy from the gunners seat before the woman sent a stream of bright red energy bolts downrange. The DEMG rounds hammered the oncoming Loyalist soldiers as Truck joined in with the remote controlled HDEMG on top of the turret. Under the withering barrage of fire, the oncoming infantry scattered, seeking any sort of hard cover they could find from the laser fire.

As Mack continued to squeeze off measured bursts, his eye kept looking over to see if there was anything more substantial coming at them, really not wanting to get surprised by another one of those 'Titans' since the machines had been responsible for all three of Rapiers lost tanks. Working the controls, the TC laid down a long burst down on the opposite side of the street from where Ludy and her coax were covering. As he dragged the stream of fire back closer to the tank, Truck saw an RPG explode as the APS intercepted it through the camera mounted to the Remote Weapon Station. "Contact left!" he called out as he realized his tank was poised to be outflanked. "Driver, reverse! Take us back two more blocks! Gunner, pop smoke!"

The engine growled as Bronco lurched backwards and there was a muffled 'pop, pop, pop' of the smoke grenades firing, filling the air around the forward 180 degree arc with thick white obscurant, blocking line of sight. Even with the tank weaving a bit from side to side, the fully stabilized weapons kept firing, sweeping across the road as the T-84 came to a stop. Through the thermal imager, Truck saw a shape, a big one, but it was Ludy who made out what it was. "Identify, Titan, 250!"

"Gunner, fire MPHIE!" shouted Mack, though that was mostly redundant.

"On the way!" called back Smirnova instantly, pulling the trigger to sling the redhead round downrange.

Through the imager, Williamson could see the bright white flare of the rounds impact against the Titans armor, but the machine remained standing. "Gunner, MPHIE, Titan front. Fire! Fire Sabot and adjust!"

"MPHIE up! On the way!" reported Ludy as the smoothbore cannon recoilced back once again as the Titan raised its weapon and a pair of 40mm rounds exploded against the ERA coated composite armor of Broncos upper glacis plate. The High Intensity Energy round slammed into the heavily armored machine, causing it to stagger as more armor was reduced to slag, but it still came at Bronco.

More 40mm rounds ricocheted harmlessly off the turret, the dulled 'ping' of the impacts barely fazing the crew inside as the autoloader cycled the depleted uranium sabot round into place to be shoved into the breech. The Sable T-84 wasn't the only one readying another attack as Truck spied a pod lifting over the Titan's shoulder, and before it could fire and reveal its purpose, the TC was already on the intercom. "Driver, reverse!"

The German gunned the six-cylinder diesel once more as he simultaneously worked the controls and jinked to the left, throwing off the Titan's aim as a brilliant orange laser beam lanced through the air and drilled the ground where the Tank had just been. Smirnova, eye pressed firmly to her optic, made sure she wouldn't make the same mistake as their foe as the breech slammed shut. "On the way!"

On his display, Truck didn't even see the super dense dart hit the target or the neat hole it punched straight in the middle of the 'torso' about 6 meters up on the machine, right below the glowing boxy optics on the Titan. There was no massive explosion this time however, but the machine still instantly responded, dropping forwards onto its knees before falling the rest of the way to land flat on its face where it remained, motionless. But there was no time to celebrate, even as the autoloader loaded another MPHIE round, Macks radio came to life, "All Rapier Victors, this is Rapier Actual. Break contact and fall back to waypoint November Foxtrot, break. Artillery support is inbound, imminent, you need to clear the kill zone in 3 minutes or you're going to have One-Five-Twos dropping on your heads."

"You heard the man, Kaiser, 180 degree turn, no fancy shit. Ludy, cover our asses," ordered Williamson as the tank turned around and roared off, throwing up exhaust and dust as the last of Sable International forces hit the outskirts of the town and accelerated up to speed to cover the open ground between them and the ridgeline. Looking out through his display, the TC could see the shapes of the other white painted tanks break from the edge of town and high tail it back, though it seemed that they weren't going to be let go without a fight. A flurry of rockets streaked from the city the tanks had just fled, some soaring overhead while others missed their mark and hit the ground, throwing up dirt and smoke. "Gunner, coax, suppressing fire!"

"On the way!" Both the tanks machine guns opened up in reply, spraying rounds indiscriminately amongst the increasingly distant buildings as the tanks tore across open ground. Overhead, the faint whistle preceded a trio of impacts as the first artillery shells arrived, shooting well over the retreating tanks but falling short of the edge of town.

"We've been hit!" came a sudden, frantic cry over the radio. "This is Rapier 1-4, we've lost a track and are immobile!" Whipping the camera feed around, Mack spotted the disabled T-84, sitting stationary and sideways on towards the hail of incoming fire that seemed to focus on the easy kill. Even more pressing however, was that there was nobody closer to the damaged tank than 2-4.

"Driver, left!" shouted Truck instantly as he felt the hull shift beneath him. Bringing his viewfinder around to see where the hull of his tank was pointed in relation to the disabled ally, the TC began to guide his driver towards where he wanted to go. "Left more, little more, little more…there! Straight ahead, full speed!"

All the while, Lyudmila kept hammering away with the coax gun, trading fire with the unseen forces inside the village. "Stop Kaiser, stop!" barked Mack as the T-84 lurched hard, its weight shifting forwards as the tracks locked and it skidded a few meters along the grass and came to a halt just behind the disabled Rapier 1-4. "Rapier 1-4, this is 2-2. Bail out and jump on! Come on!"

"Copy that, we're coming out!" shouted back the commander of 1-4 as the hatches of the tank were thrown open and the crew began to pull themselves out as a pair of RPGs slammed into the ground nearby, throwing up dust as the crew quickly jumped from the stricken vehicle. They were smart enough to know to climb up onto the front of Bronco and they weren't a moment too soon. "We're on, punch it!"

The sight of another one of those Titans emerging and looking their direction made Truck not want to dawdle any longer. On cue, the Titan fired a salvo of missiles from its shoulder pod that streaked through the air. "Driver, go, 60 degrees right and full power. Gunner, MPHIE, Titan!"

As the hull turned, the turret remained pointed in mostly the same direction it had been, the stabilized gun holding steady over the bumpy terrain as Smirnova laid her sights on the target before calling out, "On the way!" The round left the gun as the Titan's missiles landed on the disabled tank, carving through the top armor and cooking off the ammunition as the tank went up in a fireball before the Titan ducked back behind a building, the MPHIE shell missing and hitting a different structure, blowing it apart as the T-84 crossed the last hundred meters. With them being the last tank in the open, there was a veritable flood of Titans, traditional armored vehicles, and infantry beginning to flood out of the town.

"Whatever you do 2-2, don't stop!" ordered Rapier Actual over the radio. The reason for the curt order became clear soon enough. "Battle-Axe, this is Rapier, fire mission battery grid kilo hotel 975 447, hostile armor and infantry in the open. Fire for effect, over."

Knowing that there was a barrage of 152mm high explosive coming their way, Truck grit his teeth as the T-84s tracks hit the slope of the ridge and the nose of the tank began to point skywards. Speed bled off as the MBT clawed its way up the slope and the oncoming rush of enemy forces closed the gap. Holding his breath, Williamson was forced to wait until he saw the first massive eruption of dirt in his viewfinder that consumed a dozen enemy soldiers, blowing their bodies in all directions even as a second shell landed to the same devastating effect. Mack was shaken from the sight as he felt the tank level out with the ground and had to look at his immediate surroundings. "Driver halt. 180 turn and hold."

"Thanks for the lift 2-2," radioed the trio that they had picked up as the Tankers Without A Tank jumped off only to have rifles shoved into their hands and told to take up defensive positions. The gun bunnies continued to make it rain all along the 2 kilometers of the town perimeter opposite the ridge. The barrage lasted a solid six minutes, long enough for more than 240 shell craters to have formed at the edge of town along with a veritable abattoir of bodies and vehicles that had been caught out. None of that meant the day was over, not when Mack heard the next message.

"Rapier, this is Battle-Axe, end of mission. Be advised, that was the last of our ammunition, out."

"Galm Team, four bandits inbound, Foxhounds. Bearing 0-7-0 at 60, 6,500. Hot, cleared to intercept." The alert from Eagle Eye immediately had Cipher bringing his head inside the cockpit, looking down at the displays ahead of him and adjusting the scan and search settings on the Irbis-E radar suite to try and pick up the contacts. When he did, his eyes widened at the speed they were marching down the scope. The incoming bandits were going faster than the speed of sound, meaning that Galm team had seconds before their enemies were upon them.

"Galm 2, switches on, combat spread and power," ordered Cipher as he cranked his Flanker around to go nose to nose with the incoming Foxhounds as he armed his weapons, with Pixy doing the same as he matched his element leads turn. The two fighters spread out, putting more than a kilometer of sky between them as they accelerated up to Mach 0.9, right to the edge of supersonic flight. Pulling back on the stick, Galm Lead began to coax the Flanker to climb to the same altitude as the incoming interceptors while he tried to lock up the incoming MiGs for a missile shot. "Pixy, you have tone?"

"Negative, no tone." Replied Galm 2. Cipher could track but not lock onto the incoming enemy aircraft. Whoever was driving the MiG-31 Foxhounds bearing down on Galm Team, they were professionals. Thankfully, the automated electronic countermeasures system on Ciphers Flanker made sure that his own aircraft wasn't locked up as the distance between the fighters shortened, the combined closure rate over twice the speed of sound. Most of that came from the enemy Foxhounds, the 43,000 kilo interceptors able to go up Mach 2.83, far faster than the Sukhoi. Even with that disadvantage, Cipher was confident he could take them in a fight as his hands griped his controls that little bit tighter; the MiG couldn't hope to turn with a Flanker. But if one of the MiGs managed to get past the Galm team, there was no way the Sable fighters could catch up before the MiG reached the nearly defenseless A-10 they'd been assigned to protect. "We're going to have to do this up close and personal."

Cipher's focus was now outside the cockpit as the Flanker pilot surveyed the sky around him in an effort to spot the incoming MiGs before he was bounced. It was always the enemy you didn't see that killed you, and Galm One had no intention of dying today. Galm One was only distracted as he heard an unfamiliar voice speak over the open channel on the radio. "Schwarze Leader to all units. The target aircraft is this way, terminate with extreme prejudice."

At that moment, Cipher caught sight of a bit of movement, four black dots in the distance that rapidly closed, taking the distinct boxy form of Foxhounds painted a recognizable black and red paint scheme. They were above Galm team and to Cipher's left, almost directly ahead of Pixy, who also recognized the colors of the enemy fighters. "That plane…is that the Vulture? Here to pick on the dead?"

Schwarze Team, led by Dominic Zubov, was one of the most notorious groups of mercenary pilots in the world with their hallmark were assassination missions. More than a few private jets holding powerful people had been mysteriously lost when four black Foxhounds had been spotted. "There are some annoying flies in the way. Swat them down," ordered the Vulture over an open channel.

Galm 1 watched the four black jets flash past, right between him in his wingman, close enough to see the plumes of black smoke from their tailpipes. "Pixy, inside break!" called Cipher as he threw the SU-35 onto its left wing and pulled the stick back hard. Galm 2 did the opposite, throwing his aircraft into a right turn so that the two jets crossed paths. Inside the cockpit, Cipher felt the pants of his G-Suit inflate to keep the blood in his head as he strained to keep his head up and track the Foxhounds that had just blitzed through the merge. While the Flankers were moving horizontally, the four enemy interceptors had used their power advantage to climb up and away from Galm team and began to bank and circle like vultures. That quickly, the two Flankers had lost the initiative and had been put on the defensive. "Pixy, break right!" grunted Galm 1 as he saw one of the four Foxhounds roll and dive down on Galm 2.

Without hesitation, the red winged Flanker broke hard as flares shot out the back in an effort to spoof the missiles hanging from the MiG-31 that had sunk its teeth into Foulke and was not letting go. But that dogged determination was turned against the Foxhound pilot as Pixy flew across Cipher's nose, followed closely by the Schwarze pilot. Galm 2 could have easily turned tight enough to force his attacker to overshoot, but instead he was keeping his turn loose enough for the Foxhound to keep up until the black jet also passed Cipher and the blue painted Sukhoi broke right in pursuit.

Cipher easily slipped in on the tail of the Foxhound, having no difficulty matching the turn of his wing mate at the front of the three plane precession. "Yo buddy, you got this guy?" asked a seemingly nonchalant Foulke despite the mercenary pilot just 4000 meters behind him.

"I got him," assured Galm 1 as he thumbed the lever on the stick in his right hand, selecting the R-74 heatseeking missile nestled under the wings of his jet. "On my mark, reverse," ordered the element leader before waiting a beat as his thumb was poised over the launch button, "Break!"

The more agile Sukhoi in front suddenly changed direction, rolling the other way and breaking hard, the rapid shift and tight turn catching the Foxhound pilot by surprise as the big fighter tried, and failed, to match the move. Realizing he was caught out, the MiG tried to level out and light his afterburners to pull away, but it was too late, the Archer was growling through Galm 1s headset when he called out, "Fox 2!" and turned the weapon loose. Rocket motor igniting, the missile streaked off the rail as the Schwarze Team pilot lit his afterburners in an effort to out run the missile, but his interceptor didn't accelerate like the R-73, and the red hot tailpipes only served to give the IR seeker an even more inviting target. The missile flew straight and true, right up the tailpipe of the fleeing Foxhound before exploding, blowing off the back half of the aircraft and causing the remaining half to go into a flat, uncontrolled spin. "Galm 1, splash one!"

Even as one of the black MiG was falling to earth as flaming wreckage, the others were rolling in on the pair of SU-35s. "Cipher, you got a MiG on your ass. Break right!" called Pixy.

Galm 1 did what Solo Wing told him, combining stick and rudder to bank in towards the second MiG that was bearing down on him in a screaming power dive. Unable to match the move, the Foxhound overshot and continued to dive towards the deck. Pixy wasn't just about to let him go however, "I got him!" called Foulke as he snap rolled over and dove after the MiG.

Cipher leveled out and whipped his head around to try and acquire the other two jets when his radar warning receiver went off. Instantly, his head snapped up and he looked over his shoulder before twisting in his seat to look over his other shoulder when he saw a flash ahead of him. Eyes widening behind his visor, Galm 1 recognized that as a missile that had just been fired at him from dead ahead. Yanking the stick back and over while he kicked the rudder pedal, Cipher barrel rolled, furiously dumping chaff and flares to spoof the incoming weapon. With clenched teeth, the element lead watched the white streak of the missile dive down after the countermeasures just before the MiG rocketed past. Finishing his barrel roll, Cipher made to turn and go after the Foxhound, rolling over as he instinctively checked his six and saw the fourth and final Foxhound coming down at him.

The third Foxhound, now forgotten by Cipher, flew off while both members of the Galm team engaged with the remainder of Schwarze.

Cipher was focused squarely on the fourth as he instantly threw the stick over to reverse his turn. The agile Flanker answered smartly, rolling back the other way before Galm 1 threw the throttle wide open to put his fighter into a loose, high speed turn. Looking over his shoulder, neck straining against the pull of G as his G-suit kept blood in his head, Cipher picked out the black speck of the Foxhound against the blue sky. When he did, it seemed the unexpected reversal he pulled had put the MiG decisively on the backfoot and was well outside the Flanker's turn. Seeing his advantage, Cipher reversed again, snapping his plane around as his vision dimmed from the sudden change in direction, grunting as he forced himself to take carefully controlled breaths and craned his head around to ensure he was still tracking the MiG on his six.

Incredibly, the Foxhound had doggedly matched his turn and, even though the MiG was well outside the envelope for a missile shot, Cipher had to deal with this guy quickly so he could get after the one that got away, so it was time to make a bold move. Leveling out for a moment, Galm Lead pulled the stick back and nosed up, climbing skyward and taking the fight into the vertical. "Come on…follow you bastard," snarled Cipher, a small grin forming between labored breaths as the black and red MiG nosed up and came at the Sukhoi. When he did, Cipher pulled back on the throttle, his plane lurching from the sudden deceleration as the distance between the two jets closed and Galm 1 pulled back on the stick. Instead of looping over the top however, Cipher threw the stick over, pirouetting around and going back towards the MiG that was now at the same altitude as the SU-35 and forced to do the same.

The two jets seemed to dance around each other, both pilots combining stick and rudder in a seemingly synchronized dance as they both rolled and scissored during their climb, balancing their jets on the knife's edge of sustained flight. Looking 'up' at the foe he was locking horns with, Cipher felt his heart jump when he saw the big MiG shudder as his own airspeed continued to bleed away. The Foxhound pilot had three choices, either hold on and hope Cipher made a mistake, add power and try to climb away from the Flanker before Galm 1 could get a missile off, or try to fight the laws of physics, stall, and be a sitting duck.

When Cipher looked at the Schwarze jet and saw it shudder again, he knew that the enemy pilot had ended up at the last option.

Finally out of airspeed, the massive MiG came to a stop with its nose pointed upward, hanging in midair until gravity took over and the fighter began to fall. Tumbling end over end, Cipher felt a weight lift from his shoulders as he yanked the stick and kicked the rudder, adding more power of his own as the thrust vectoring nozzles caused his Flanker to flip around while his pointer finger curled around the trigger on the backside of the stick. "Galm 1, guns, guns, guns!" he called out as he put the pipper on his HUD right over the Foxhound and squeezed.

Nestled in the starboard wing root, the GSh-30-1 roared to life, unleashing a three second burst that sent 75 armor piercing, high explosive, and high explosive incendiary tracer 30mm rounds across the falling form of the Foxhound. The dozen or so hits Cipher scored ripped through the aircraft, blowing out one of the engines as more cut the planes left wing clean off, forcing the two crewmen to eject. "Galm 1, splash 2!"

But he still needed to find where that third one went, and it didn't take long to find out.

"Galm team, this is Silver Bird. I have been engaged by hostile fighters and am defensive. Assist!"

The monotonous shrill tone of the Radar Warning Receiver in the A-10 grated on Silver Sable. With seconds to make a move, the Symkarian pushed the stick forwards and put the Thunderbolt II into a 40 degree dive. Sablinova hoped she could put the attack jet low enough that whoever had her painted would lose her radar signature amidst the clutter generated by the ground, which would keep her hidden until Galm Team arrived.

When the tone changed toa series of rapid shrill beeps, Sablinova felt her heart skip a beat at the obvious meaning. With the ground rushing up at her, Silver pulled the stick back with both hands, the airframe and her body straining against the 6 g pullout as her neck struggled to keep her head up. Searching the skies for any sign of the incoming missile, Silver spotted nothing, but with the beeping still filling her cockpit, she cranked the stick over and pulled, dumping chaff and flares as she forced her bomb laden A-10 into a hard turn.

A flash over her canopy caught her attention as the incoming missile streaked past, diving into a cloud of chaff she'd left in her wake and exploding, letting Sable level her jet out, barely 30 meters above the ground, and catch her breath. Even with the relative quiet, the silver haired mercenary still kept her head up and scanning the sky for any sign of her attacker when she heard the collected voice of Cipher over the radio call out, "Silver Bird, break left!"

Looking up over her left shoulder as she kicked hard left rudder and dumped the left wing, Sable saw the big black jet screaming down on her for the first time before her eyes widened at the sight of a flash under its wing. Once again dumping chaff and flares, Sable pulled the stick into her gut, coaxing as tight a turn out of her aircraft as it could manage, getting inside the turn of the incoming missile as it bore down on her at Mach 3. Kicking right rudder to throw her Thunderbolts nose up before rolling over the top, the Symkarian dropped more flares, almost absent-minded reflexes noting the missile fly underneath and slam into the ground. Silver finished the flat aileron roll and leveled out just before she looked up to see the black MiG-31 shoot past her canopy before climbing up and away from the Warthog. Bracing herself to have to go through another excruciating evasive maneuver, Sable was relieved to hear Cipher on the radio again. "Galm 1, Fox 3!"

Two seconds later, Silver watched an incoming missile lance straight into the black jet, blowing it into pieces as it tried to wheel around on her. "This is Silver Bird, Galm 1 has splashed the bandit," she announced coolly.

"That's the last of them, scope's clear," added the more easygoing Galm 2.

Sablinova let herself relax, it might have been close, but Galm team had proven up to the task. "Good work Galm, return to your station," ordered the Symkarian curtly before going to the frequency of the Forward Air Controller on the ground. "Rapier Actual this is Silver Bird, single A-10. JDAMs, Mavericks, full gun, and 45 minutes to Bingo. Camera pod on board."

"Roger that Silver Bird, glad to have you here. Stand by for nine line," returned the FAC, all business as Silver brought the Thunderbolt II up and passed the ridge where her forces were stationed on her right. Winging over, Silver looked down and saw the enemy forces advancing towards the ridge, both sides furiously exchanging fire. "IP is Alpha Charlie 248 going north to south. Distance is two four zero zero meters, elevation is one six one meters. Target is enemy Titans in the open at grid kilo hotel 975 447. Target is lazed. We are 500 meters northwest. Requesting bomb run, 200 meter spread, danger close."

"Copy bomb run," replied Sablinvoa as she circled to the designated initial point for the attack run, "I am in from Alpha Charlie." Rolling in and leveling out, Silver set the coordinates for her guided bombs and began her run, running parallel to the outskirts of the village until she heard four rapid 'thunks' and felt the weight of the bombs fall from the wings of her plane. She took a second to call, "Ripple!" before nosing up and pulling out.

There was a long silence before Silver's radio came back to life. "Good effect on target, requesting immediate reattack, same vector, Mavericks on enemy soft skins at distance 1600 from IP. How copy?"

"Solid copy," answered the Thunderbolt driver as she banked the big 20,000 kg jet around to circle back to where she had just come from. "Rolling in now," announced Sablinova as she selected the four IR seeking AGM-65 missiles.

"Copy, cleared hot." Silver put the nose down and dove, making sure she had the enemy vehicle group in view before she launched the missiles, each of the weapons selecting a different target before streaking off to deliver their HEAT warheads to the Loyalist light vehicles. "Good hits Silver Bird…"

Whatever words the FAC was about to say next were interrupted by an unexpected stream of tracer fire that lanced past Silver's port wing before it passed over her canopy. Reacting on instinct, the Symkarian kicked the rudder and rolled over, getting clear of the line of fire. "Priority target, Titan in the open, target is lazed, requesting gun run." Banking around, Silver craned her head around to see the laser mark show up on the helmet mounted display and the Titan upon which it rested. Coming in from behind the ridgeline to avoid strafing her own men, Sable put the nose down and fought to get the gunsight on target as the Titan raised its own weapon and cut loose first.

Ignoring the yellow tennis ball sized tracers coming up at her, Sablinova curled her finger around the trigger on her stick. "Guns!" she called before squeezing, feeling the whole plane shake as the GAU-8/A Avenger cannon roared to life, spitting out 60 rounds a second. The depleted uranium armor piercing rounds found their mark first, just a split second before the first enemy cannon shells slammed into her wing.

Ignoring what sounded like bites being taken out of the metal skin of her aircraft, Sable pressed her attack, pouring in more shells that made her target twinkle at the rapid impacts that turned the armor into a sieve. After pouring four seconds of fire into her target, she finally hit something vital that caused a massive explosion that sent a fireball climbing into the sky that the A-10 plowed straight through as she pulled out of her dive. "Good hits Silver Bird!" reported a rather exuberant and relieved sounding FAC. "No more targets at this time, thanks for the assist."

"Understood, Silver Bird is RTB at this time, out." Cranking the A-10 around and pointing it back towards FOB Anastasia, her mind already going towards her next move. She needed to get her supply lines sorted out, fast, and she needed someone who knew how to deal with Titans.

To accomplish both of those goals meant that she needed to go to New York.

Sir Andrew Jellicoe had no complaints about where he was in life. Even after serving for more than two decades in the Royal Navy, he had very soon found himself employed by Sable International and doing much the same thing he had been doing in the Senior Service. Only now he was being paid much more handsomely and got to live in the very well-furnished officers' quarters of the Sable Naval facilities adjacent to the Marine Nationale port at Toulon. While most of Sable International's forces were engaged in the fighting in Symkaria, the naval officer was content to be a part of the company's maritime contingent, seemingly the only group that hadn't been taken to the eastern European nation.

His office was done in the style of a traditional naval officer, a large and imposing mahogany desk where he did his work beside a shelf that was filled with finely constructed models of various ships, both historical and ones he had served on throughout his own career. The only thing ruining the traditional air of the space was the large communication screen mounted on the wall across the room form his desk. This interruption now flashed with the alert for an incoming message. Grumbling lowly, Jellicoe pressed the button on his desk and didn't even look up as he said, "Yes, what is it?"

"Captain Jellicoe," addressed a stern, unamused, and accented voice that the Navy man recognized as he immediately stood and snapped to attention. Silver Sablinova stared at the Captain through the screen for a second before saying, "Stand easy."

Spreading his feet and putting his arms behind his back, Jellicoe let himself relax slightly. "What do you require of The Andrew ma'am?" he asked.

"What is the status of In Amber Clad?" asked the Symkarian, seemingly expecting Jellicoe to have look down at his desk.

As if he needed to refer to anything to know about the status of his own ship.

"Her refit is complete, and she finished her shakedown cruise without significant issue. The last of the kinks have been ironed out since then. She is in ship shape and Bristol fashion." In Amber Clad had come out of her refit a very capable fighting ship, and Jellicoe had even managed to get the crew up to standard during that time, enough so that he had given them a few days of leave while they were back in port.

Sablinova gave a nod of approval, "Very good. What of the aircraft complement?"

"We have received 6 AV-22 Attack VTOLs and have conducted a few basic flight operations to ensure compatibility, with no issues to report. I have enough fuel, ordnance, and maintenance personnel for them to run a few missions, but no pilots." All the qualified pilots had gone to Symkaria, either by assignment, or because they wanted the increased pay that came from being deployed to an active theater. The same had gone for many other personnel that might otherwise have been assigned to In Amber Clad, meaning she was crewed by her peacetime compliment of 235.

Sablinova nodded before speaking again, her next words catching Jellicoe off guard. "The lack of pilots should not be an issue. Begin preparations to depart immediately. I am flying to Toulon tonight and am scheduled to arrive at 0500 hours tomorrow morning, I wish to leave as soon as I am aboard."

Two decades of instilled military discipline faltered for a moment before the Captain caught himself. "Where are we going ma'am?"

"New York City. I have urgent business to attend to there, and I need to ensure it goes smoothly." There was the barest hint of emotion in her words, something that the Symkarian rarely let slip.

Jellicoe understood easily, his ship was there to show that Sable was not one with whom to trifle, even if she wasn't at full combat readiness, whoever his employer had to meet wouldn't know that. Feeling a hint of the old fire stoking in his heart, the career sailor cracked a warm smile. "Reaffirming out contracts in person, Ma'am?"

"Something to that effect," responded the silver haired Mercenary, "Any questions?" asked Silver. Getting a curt shake of the head back, the Symkarian nodded, "Very well, Sablinova out."

Sable International Briefing – Sable International Tactical Attack Wings: Equipment and Employment

Document ID: A1488 – GX6 – 202J – 4

Author: S. Sablinova, Commanding Officer: Sable International Combined Forces (CO: SICF)

Date: 19-02-15

SECRET

Like the 54th and 66th Fighter Wings, the 21st and 41st Tactical Attack Wings fall under the command of the 6th Air Division as they are combat forces. Similar to Fighter Wings, Tactical Attack craft operate in pairs, or 'elements' when on sortie. Each Wing is composed of 14 aircraft and their associated support personnel.

Those aircraft are the Sukhoi SU-25SM Grach, known in the west under its NATO reporting name of 'Frogfoot.' A specially designed aircraft for the Close Air Support (CAS) mission that Tactical Attack Wings are tasked to carry out. The aircraft has proven itself effective in various combat deployments, including Afghanistan and Chechnya, proving itself a spiritual successor to the Shturmovik. Large, straight wings allow for operation from short air strips and enable the craft to carry a substantial quantity of ordnance. Among this ordnance are laser, GPS, and TV guided smart munitions as well as 'dumb' rockets, 'iron' bombs, and cluster bomblet cannisters.

These weapons are all intended to carry out the CAS mission, engaging enemy combat formations on or near the front lines. These attacks are carried out at low altitude and low speed to ensure the most effective strike, and the SU-25SM is armored to absorb the inevitable return fire, making it the only armored fixed wing craft Sable International has in quantity. Among the electronic systems is the proprietary Sable International IFF and BattleNet integration to allow for CAS strikes to be conducted within 'Danger Close' proximity (less than 600 meters distance) from Sable International ground assets.

In addition to the SU-25SM employed by the Tactical Ground Attack squadrons, Sable International has a single Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II, or 'Warthog,' in the inventory designated solely for my personal use. The reasons for this are practical, while the A-10 was the preferred aircraft, the United States was unwilling to export the numbers required to outfit one wing, much less two. The one obtained for evaluation was kept and remains combat ready to carry out the same types of CAS missions as its Soviet designed counterpart. Differing mainly in the use of a GAU-8/A Avenger rotary cannon that fires depleted uranium 30mm shells to defeat the protection of armored vehicles in addition to the bombs and missiles carried. While the SU-25 has a 30mm cannon of its own, the Warthogs weapon fires rounds with greater velocity and armor penetration, and carries more of those rounds, 1,174 compared to the 250 of the SU-25.

Two months into combat operations in Symkaria, and SU-25s have accounted for more than 40% of all sorties flown by fixed wing combat aircraft. They have proven extremely effective in their assigned role, however growing resistance in the shape of SPAA vehicles and a surprisingly robust air defense system in some areas has hampered the effectiveness in some cases. Due to their effectiveness when they are employed, new methods for enabling CAS missions to be flown in the face of this resistance are being developed.

That is all.

S. Sablinova

Closing Notes: It's been a while since I did a Symkarian chapter, but this was a fun one, let me tell you. I personally can't wait to get to the main Symkarian arc proper that will come after Silver Linings. Let me know how this one went, since it was a bit less lifted from other things and more me working off the cuff, so to speak. Let me know how I did, the aim was to get it up to the same bar of quality as their respective elements in chapter 78. I am keeping up the appearances of Ace Combat 5 ace units, though I needed to make some adjustments to the exact dialogue and backstory of Schwarze Squadron. Though Silver's engagement was inspired by an engagement between an EF-111A Raven flown by Captain James Denton and an Iraqi Mirage F1 on the night of 17 January 1991, but in this instance, Denton managed to secure a manuver kill on the F1 with his unarmed EF-111A, bagging himself a DFC. Though, I don't know if a fully laden A-10 could pull off the move Sable does in this chapter, or that anyone would be crazy enough to try it.

That's about it though, nothing else really notable happened here I don't think...

Oh wait, the proto Titans showing up, and yes, these are not full blown Titans. They're lacking shields, for one thing, so I don't want to hear anyone bitch about how they were too easy to kill. In fact, I think I made them harder to kill then they would actually be, considering they're easily destroyed in Titanfall by .50 caliber weapons. Nor do I want to hear about how they struggled to kill the T-84, because they kinds of weapons Titans carry, say a 40mm cannon, in it's modern incarnation does not have the ability to defeat an MBT like the T-84 from the frontal aspect. Same thing with most anti tank missiles, these need a side, rear, or top shot to score a penetration.

Either way, all this was for was to setup next chapter, which goes back to New York for the return of The Mercenary.

Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.